JUN  12  1914 


BX  5945  .H35  1913 

Hart,  Samuel,  1845-1917. 

The  book  of  common  prayer 


THE 

BOOK  OF   COMMON 

PRAYER 


SEW  A  NEE  THEOLOGICAL  LIBRARY 


GENERAL  EDITOR  — The  Rev.  Arthur  R.  Gray,  Edu- 
cational Secretary  of  The  Board  of  Missions  ;  sometime 
Chaplain  of  the  University  of  the  South. 

THE  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  CHURCH,  by  the  Rt.  Rev. 
A.  C.  A.  Hall,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  Bishop  of  Vermont 

"It  is  at  once  most  comprehensive  and  most  condensed;  and  its  dealing  with  some 
of  the  difficult  and  important  questions  of  our  time,  such  as  the  Resurrection,  the  In- 
carnation, and  especially  the  Atonement,  is  a  remarkable  piece  of  clear  theological 
statement  and  logical  argument." — Rt.  Rev.  W.  C.  DoANE. 

THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER,  by  the  Very  Rev. 
Samuel  Hart,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  Dean  of  Berkeley  Divinity 
School. 

"It  is  admirably  adapted  to  the  uses  of  students  of  theology,  and  is,  beyond  com- 
parison, the  best  book  of  its  kind  for  the  reading  of  Churchmen  in  general." — Dr. 
George   Hodges,  Dean  of  the  Episcopal  Theological  School. 

APOLOGETICS,  by  the  General  Editor. 

"Distinctly  pragmatic,  but  also  thoroughly  theistic." — Dr.  W.  P.  DuBoSE. 

"This  volume  has  many  excellencies;  but  the  chief  of  them  is  its  masterly  exposure 
of  the  claims  of  Naturalism." — Princeton  Theological  Review. 

MANUAL  OF  EARLY  ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY 
TO  476  A.D.,  by  the  Very  Rev.  Chas.  L.  Wells,  Ph.D., 
Lecturer  in  History,  McGill  University,  Montreal ;  some- 
time Dean  of  Christ  Church  Cathedral,  New  Orleans. 

"  Compact,  clear,  and  admirably  arranged.  ...  A  boon  alike  to  men  preparing 
themselves  for  examination  and  to  the  general  reader." — Tht  Church  Times  (London). 

"Adapted  for  lay  use;  ....  the  layman  .  .  .  will  find  this  a  book  ...  fit  to  set 
him  on  the  way  towards  the  mastery  of  Church  History." — The  Expository  Times. 

ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY  from  476  a.d.,  by  the 
Rev.  Wilson  Lloyd  Bevan,  Ph.D.,  Professor  of  History 
and  Economics,  University  of  the  South.    (Shortly.) 

THE  OLD  TESTAMENT,  by  the  Rev.  Loring  W. 
Batten,  Ph.D.,  S.T.D.,  Professor  of  the  Literature  and 
Interpretation  of  the  Old  Testament,  General  Theological 
Seminary.     (In  preparation.) 

THE  NEW  TESTAMENT,  by  the  Rev.  William  H.  P. 
Hatch,  B.D.,  Ph.D.,  Adjunct  Professor  of  the  Literature 
and  Interpretation  of  the  New  Testament,  The  General 
Theological  Seminary.    (In  preparation.) 

ECCLESIASTICAL  POLITY,  by  the  Rev.  George  Wil- 
liam Douglas,  D.D.,  Canon  of  the  Cathedral  of  St.  John 
the  Divine,  New  York.     (In  preparation.) 

CHRISTIAN  ETHICS.     (To  be  arranged  for.) 

,*#  In  uniform  volumes,  12-mo.  cloth,  printed  on  imp^rttd 
English  Paper,  price  $1.30  per  volume,  post  prepaid.  , 


SEWANEE  THEOLOGICAL  LIBRARY    .^1^^^  ^^'^??^ 


THE 

BOOK  OF  COMMON 
PRAYER 


</y-'    BY 

SAMUEL  HART,  D.D.,LL.D. 

DEAN  OF  BERKELEY  DIVINITY  SCHOOL,  CUSTODIAN  OF  THE 
STANDARD  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 


SECOND  EDITION,  REVISED 


AT  THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  THE  SOUTH 
SEWANEE,  TENNESSEE 


Copyright,  191 3 

By  The  University  Press  of 

Sewanee  Tennessee 


EDITOR'S  PREFACE 

THE  object  of  this  series  is  to  provide  for  the 
clergy  and  laity  of  the  Church  a  statement,  in 
convenient  form,  of  its  Doctrine,  Discipline  and 
Worship— as  well  as  to  meet  the  often  expressed  de- 
sire on  the  part  of  Examining  Chaplains  for  text- 
books which  they  could  recommend  to  candidates 
for  Holy  Orders. 

To  satisfy,  on  the  one  hand,  the  demand  of  general 
readers  among  the  clergy  and  laity,  the  books  have 
been  provided  with  numerous  references  to  larger 
works,  making  them  introductory  in  their  nature; 
and  on  the  other  hand,  to  make  them  valuable  for  use 
in  canonical  examinations,  they  have  been  arranged 
according  to  the  canons  of  the  Church  which  deal 
with  that  matter. 

It  is  the  earnest  hope  of  the  collaborators  in  this 
series  that  the  impartial  scholarship  and  unbiased  at- 
titude adopted  throughout  will  commend  themselves 
to  Churchmen  of  all  types,  and  that  the  books  will 
therefore  be  accorded  a  general  reception  and  adopted 
as  far  as  possible  as  a  rtorm  for  canonical  examina- 
tions.    The  need  of  such  a  norm  is  well  known  to  all. 

And  finally  a  word  to  Examining  Chaplains.  They 
will  find  that  the  volumes  are  so  arranged  that  it  will 


EDITOR'S  PREFACE 


be  possible  to  adapt  them  to  all  kinds  of  students. 
The  actual  text  itself  should  be  taken  as  the  minimum 
of  requirement  from  the  candidate,  and  then,  by 
reference  on  their  part  to  the  bibliographies  at  the 
end  of  each  chapter,  they  can  increase  as  they  see  fit 
the  amount  of  learning  to  be  demanded  in  each  case. 
It  has  been  the  endeavor  of  the  editor  to  make  these 
bibliographies  so  comprehensive  that  Examining 
Chaplains  will  always  find  suitable  parallel  readings. 
If  in  any  way  the  general  public  will  be  by  this 
series  encouraged  to  study  the  position  of  the 
Church,  and  if  the  canonical  examinations  in  the 
different  dioceses  can  be  brought  into  greater  har- 
mony one  with  another,  our  object  will  be  accom- 
plished. 

Arthur  R.  Gray. 


PREFACE 

THE  primary  purpose  of  this  volume  is  to  guide 
Candidates  for  Holy  Orders  in  their  study  of 
the  History  and  the  Contents  of  the  Book  of  Common 
Prayer  as  it  has  been  set  forth  for  use  in  the  Amer- 
ican Church.  To  this  end,  I  have  followed  the 
method  of  familiar  lectures,  such  as  can  be  'inter- 
rupted by  question  and  answer;  assuming  through- 
out that  the  reader  has  an  acquaintance  with  the 
Book,  but  that  he  wishes  to  be  informed  as  to  its 
origins,  its  principles,  its  purposes,  and  some  of  the 
details  of  its  phraseology  and  use.  I  have  endeav- 
ored, therefore,  to  answer  the  questions  which  such 
a  reader  might  be  minded  to  ask,  and  to  suggest  to 
him  lines  of  inquiry  for  more  thorough  study.  It 
will  be  evident  that  in  such  a  method  many  matters 
will  receive  attention  which  are  of  comparatively 
little  importance,  and  liturgical  scholars  will  see 
that  this  book  lacks  balance  and  perspective;  but  I 
hope  that  the  defect  will  be  in  part  excused  by  some 
little  addition  to  its  interest  and  to  its  practical 
usefulness.  Moreover,  in  such  a  hand-book  it  is 
frequently  necessary  to  express  an  opinion;  but  it 
should  not  be  thought  that  the  present  writer  con- 
siders all  his  opinions  of  equal  value,  or  indeed  that 


viii  PREFACE 

he  would  attach  undue  importance  to  any  opinion  of 
his  own.  It  must  be  left  to  the  reader  to  distinguish 
between  opinions  and  statements  of  historical  or  theo- 
logical facts. 

There  are  few  books  as  interesting  or  as  valuable 
as  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer.  "The  difficulties  that 
people  find  with  the  Prayer  Book,"  says  the  author  of 
Ecclesia  Discens,  "are  mainly  due  to  their  not  using 
it  as  it  was  intended  to  be  used,  systematically  and 
continuously.  In  one  sense  it  is  hard  to  master,  be- 
cause it  contains  a  great  deal  that  is  worth  learning. 
A  practical  acquaintance  with  the  year  of  worship 
which  it  provides  and  with  some  of  its  occasional 
offices  is  a  liberal  education  in  the  things  necessary 
to  salvation.  * ' 


In  the  second  edition  the  writer  has  been  able  to 
correct  some  errors,  availing  himself  of  the  kindly 
criticisms  of  friends.  The  Index  has  been  much 
enlarged. 


S.  H. 


Berkeley  Divinity  School, 
St.  Luke's  Day,  191 2. 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGB 

I.  Introductory i 

The  English  Prayer  Book 5 

The  American  Prayer  Book 17 

II.  The  Preliminary  Pages  of  the  Prayer  Book: 

Title,  Ratification,  Preface 35 

Concerning  the  Service  of  the  Church 36 

The  Psalter 39 

Lessons  of  Scripture 42 

Hymns  and  Anthems 47 

The  Calendar,  with  Tables  and  Lessons 48 

Tables  and  Rules 53 

III.  Morning  and  Evening  Prayer 64 

The  Creed  of  Saint  Athanasius 96 

IV.  The  Litany 100 

V.  Special  Prayers  and  Thanksgivings 11 1 

The  Penitential  Office 115 

VI.  The  Collects,  Epistles,  and  Gospels 117 

Coincidence  of  Holy  Days 133 

VII.  The  Holy  Communion  —  I: 

History  of  the  Office 138 

VIII.  The  Holy  Communion  —  II: 

Commentary  on  the  Office 166 

The  Communion  of  the  Sick 202 

IX.  The  Ministration  of  Baptism: 

Public  Baptism  of  Infants 209 

Private  Baptism  of  Children 219 

Baptism  of  those  of  Riper  Years 222 

X.  The  Catechism 227 

Questions  and  Answers  on  the  Church  232 


X  CONTENTS 

XI.  The  Order  of  Confirmation 230 

XII.  The  Solemnization  of  Matrimony 244 

XIII.  The  Visitation  of  the  Sick 254 

XIV.  The  Burial  of  the  Dead 261 

XV.  Other  Offices  : 

The  Churching  of  Women 271 

Forms  of  Prayer  to  be  Used  at  Sea 272 

The  Visitation  of  Prisoners 273 

Thanksgiving-day 273 

Family  Prayers 274 

XVI.  The  Psalter 275 

XVII.  The  Ordinal 278 

Consecration   of  a  Church ;   Institution  of  Min- 
isters    287 

Index 291 


THE 

BOOK  OF  COMMON 

PRAYER 


THE 

BOOK  OF  COMMON 
PRAYER 

I. 

INTRODUCTORY 

THE  Prayer  Book,  or  rather  the  Book  described 
by  its  title  as  "The  Book  of  Common  Prayer, 
and  Administration  of  the  Sacraments,  and  other 
Rites  and  Ceremonies  of  the  Church,  .  .  .  together 
with  the  Psalter  or  Psalms  of  David",  really  con- 
sists of  five  books,  which  had  never  been  brought 
together  within  one  cover  until  the  time  of  the  Eng- 
lish Reformation;  in  fact,  it  is  only  in  the  English 
Church  and  those  connected  with  it  that  the  five 
books  are  to-day  customarily  printed  and  bound  to- 
gether. These  constituent  parts  of  our  Prayer  Book 
are  called,  in  the  anglicized  form  of  their  Latin 
names,  the  Breviary,  the  Processional,  the  Missal, 
the  Manual,  and  the  Psalter.  The  last  named  is 
really  a  book  of  the  Bible,  arranged  for  use  on  the 
successive  days  of  the  month,  and  bound  up  with  the 
service-books  —  a  provision  made  almost  necessary 
by  the  fact  that  it  is  used  in  Church  in  an  old  trans- 
lation which  is  rarely  printed  elsewhere.     In  regard 


2  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 

to  each  of  the  other  parts  of  the  volume  a  few  words 
may  be  said. 

The  Breviary,  so  called  because  it  was  originally  a 
compendium  or  concise  arrangement  of  devotional 
offices,  contained  the  services  for  the  several  hours  of 
each  day  of  the  week,  modified  for  special  days  of 
the  Church's  year,  with  the  Calendar  and  rules  for 
their  use;  it  also  contained  the  Psalter,  the  several 
Psalms  being  distributed  according  to  the  places  in 
which  they  were  to  be  read.  The  present  Roman 
Breviary  is  in  four  good-sized  volumes,  one  for  each 
season  of  the  year.  The  parts  corresponding  to  it  in 
our  Book  are  the  general  rubrics,  with  calendar  and 
tables,  and  the  Order  for  Daily  Morning  and  Even- 
ing Prayer. 

The  Processional  was  a  book  of  Litanies,  so  called 
because  Litanies  were  often  sung  in  procession. 
Our  Litany,  with  the  special  Prayers  and  Thanks- 
givings and  the  Penitential  Office,  corresponds  to 
this. 

The  Missal  contained  the  service  used  at  the  cele- 
bration of  the  Mass  or  Eucharist,  including  the 
Collects,  Epistles,  and  Gospels,  the  psalms  or  verses 
sung  in  connection  with  them,  the  Prefaces,  and  cer- 
tain variable  prayers  for  different  days.  The  Order 
for  the  Holy  Communion,  with  the  Collects,  Epis- 
tles, and  Gospels,  as  of  old,  corresponds  to  this. 

The  Manual  included  all  the  services  which  we 
call  Occasional,  as  they  were  used  by  the  priests,  in- 
cluding also  that  for  Confirmation  as  being  a  paro- 


INTRODUCTORY 


chial  service.  To  it  corresponds  the  offices  for  Bap- 
tism and  those  which  follow. 

After  the  Psalter  there  is  placed  in  our  Book — 
though  really  it  is  another  book  bound  up  with  the 
former  —  what  was  called  a  Pontifical:  that  is,  a  col- 
lection of  offices  used  by  Bishops.  It  includes  with 
us  the  three  Ordination  services,  with  their  Litany 
and  Communion  Office,  the  form  for  the  Consecra- 
tion of  a  Church,  and  that  for  the  Institution  of  a 
Rector. 

The  Articles  of  Religion  are,  in  accordance  with 
long-established  custom,  bound  with  the  Prayer 
Book;  but  they  have  their  own  title-page  and  are 
not  a  part  of  the  Prayer  Book  at  all. 

It  may  be  interesting  to  note  that  both  the  Breviary 
(as  indeed  its  name  denotes)  and  the  Missal  were 
made  up  of  more  than  one  earlier  book.  The 
Lessons,  extracts  from  Homilies,  and  other  readings 
for  the  daily  offices  were  contained  in  the  Legenda; 
the  Antiphons  and  other  sung  parts  in  the  Antiph- 
onal;  the  complicated  rules  for  reading  the  ser- 
vices in  the  Ordinal  or  Directorium,  which  latter, 
from  the  great  number  of  large  black  letters  on  its 
pages,  contrasting  with  the  white  of  the  paper,  was 
called  in  Latin  'Pica'  ('magpie'),  anglicized  into 
'Pie'.^  The  Missal  was  also  used  in  distinct  parts: 
the  Sacramentary  contained  what  was  said  or  sung  by 
the   celebrant,   and  his  assistants   had    the  Epistle- 


^  This  gave  name  to  '  pica'  type  and  perhaps  to  printers' '  pi '. 


4  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 

book  or  Apostle  and  the  Gospel-book  for  their  parts 
of  the  service.  There  was  also  a  Gradual-book  for 
the  choir,  containing  the  gradual  psalms  sung  be- 
tween the  Epistle  and  the  Gospel,  and  a  Troper 
with  later  additions  to  the  musical  part  of  the 
service.  We  are  familiar  in  our  Church  with 
Litany-books  and  Altar  Services;  our  Bishops  have 
Ordinals  with  other  services  which  they  use;  and  in 
England  separate  Epistle-books  and  Gospel-books 
have  been  printed. 

All  the  services  contained  in  the  ancient  books 
mentioned  as  in  use  in  the  Western  Church  —  and 
the  Eastern  Church  has  in  principle  the  same  offices — 
continued  to  be  used  in  England  throughout  the 
reign  of  King  Henry  VIII,  who  died  early  in  1547. 
Before  that  time,  the  translation  of  the  Bible  known 
as  the  Great  Bible  and  first  published  in  1539  (an 
edition  of  Coverdale's  translation  of  1535),  had  been 
placed  in  the  churches.  In  1543  it  had  been  ordered 
that  Lessons  of  Scripture  should  be  read  in  English 
at  Matins  and  Vespers,  and  announcement  had  been 
made  that  a  reformation  of  the  service-books  was  to 
follow;  and  in  the  next  year,  as  will  presently  be 
noted,  an  English  Litany  had  been  set  forth.  But 
no  other  actual  changes  had  been  made,  except  that 
the  name  of  the  Pope  and  the  name  of  St.  Thomas  ^ 
Becket  had  been  erased  from  the  books.  But 
schemes  for  revision  were  in  hand,  which  led  to  the 
publication  of  the  first  English  Prayer  Book  in  the 
next  reiffn. 


INTRODUCTORY 


The  English  Prayer  Book* 

The  Book  of  Common  Prayer  has  been  used  by 
some  twelve  generations  of  men  and  women  and 
children  in  England;  it  has  been  carried  into  all  the 
colonies  of  English  people  everywhere;  it  was  used 
on  this  continent  as  soon  as  English  Churchmen  set 
foot  on  it,  and  it  has  been  constantly  used  in  our  land 
since  the  settlement  of  Jamestown  in  1607,  when  the 
book  itself  was  not  sixty  years  old.  To-day  there  are 
about  two  million  copies  of  the  book  in  the  churches 
and  homes  of  the  United  States;  its  words  are  on 
the  lips  of  Christian  people  all  over  the  world,  and 
its  thoughts  are  in  their  hearts,  and  we  feel  sure  that 
it  will  be  used  and  that  its  influence  will  extend  as 
long  as  there  shall  be  English-speaking  Christians  on 
the  earth,  and  that  we  can  hardly  doubt  will  be  until 
the  Church  shall  come  to  the  end  of  her  earthly  his- 
tory and  the  Lord  shall  return  from  heaven. 

We  belong  to  a  Church  which  teaches  us  to  use  a 
book  now,  in  nearly  every  part,  three  hundred  and 
sixty  years  old;  a  book  which  comes  from  a  date 
hardly  a  century  after  the  invention  of  printing  and 
not  much  more  than  a  century  and  a  half  after  the 


*The  writer  does  not  apologize  for  using,  at  the  beginning  of 
this  and  the  following  chapter,  parts  of  A  Short  History  of 
the  Book  of  Common  Prayer^  which  he  wrote  in  1899,  at  the 
request  of  the  late  Mr.  George  C.  Thomas,  for  the  use  of  the 
teachers  and  scholars  of  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Apostles, 
Philadelphia,  in  commemoration  of  the  350th  anniversary  of 
the  first  English  Prayer  Book. 


6  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

discovery  of  America;  a  book  which  is  not  older  than 
the  English  Bible,  to  be  sure,  but  is  sixty  years 
older  than  the  translation  which  is  now  read  in  our 
churches ;  a  book  with  which  some  people  have  found 
fault,  of  course,  but  which  has  gained  a  stronger  and 
stronger  hold  on  the  affection  and  esteem  of  those 
who  have  really  come  to  know  it.  It  is  worth  our 
while  to  know  such  a  book  well,  and  to  learn  what  we 
can  about  it. 

There  had  been  Christians  in  the  country  which  is 
now  called  England,  from  an  early  date;  and  those 
Christians  had  held  the  same  creeds,  had  had  the 
same  ministry,  and  had  used  practically  the  same 
forms  for  daily  worship  and  ministering  the  Sacra- 
ments, as  Christians  in  other  parts  of  the  world. 
There  never  was  a  Church  without  some  kind  of  a 
Prayer  Book.  It  would  have  its  beginning  in  the 
teaching  of  Apostles  or  of  men  who  stood  very  near 
to  them ;  additions  would  be  made  to  it  by  good  men 
as  they  found  out  what  was  needed ;  and  so  it  would 
grow  to  be  a  part  of  the  religious  life  of  the  people. 
But  there  was  no  printing  in  those  days,  and  very 
few  people  could  read  and  write;  so  that  for  the  most 
part  the  use  of  a  service-book  was  a  matter  of  hearing 
and  of  memory.  Then  again,  the  missionaries  who 
brought  Christianity  to  the  British  Isles  —  whether 
those  of  earlier  days  who  found  the  Britons  in  pos- 
session, or  those  beginning  with  Augustine  in  597 
who  converted  the  Anglo-Saxons  by  whom  the 
Britons   had   been  in  part  displaced  —  spoke  Latin, 


INTRODUCTORY 


which  was  for  a  long  time  the  only  civilized  language 
for  Western  Europe;  and  the  services  of  the  Church 
were  kept  in  Latin,  the  people  watching  the  priest 
to  know  what  he  was  doing,  rather  than  listening  to 
what  he  said,  except  when  he  preached  in  the  lan- 
guage which  they  used  and  understood.  Thus  it 
came  about  that  there  was  no  'Common  Prayer', 
no  response  in  any  service  except  by  a  few  who  were 
trained  to  repeat  the  necessary  Latin  words;  and 
what  was  worst  of  all,  the  people  could  not  understand 
the  Word  of  God  when  the  Lessons  or  any  other  part 
of  the  Bible  was  read  in  church.  They  were  indeed 
taught  in  English — and  this  should  be  thankfully 
remembered  —  the  Creed,  the  Lord's  Prayer,  and  the 
Ten  Commandments,  with  some  of  the  Psalms  and 
some  of  the  Collects;  and  there  were  service-books 
in  English,  called  'Primers'  or  'First  Books',  which 
became  more  common  after  the  invention  of  printing, 
but  very  few  were  able  to  use  these.  Thus,  as  only 
priests  and  monks  could  understand  the  daily  services, 
the  common  people  were  not  expected  to  go  to  them ; 
and  the  rules  for  finding  the  parts  of  the  services 
became  very  complicated  and  hard  to  follow  and  the 
Lessons  from  the  Bible  became  very  short  and  dis- 
connected. On  Sundays  and  Holy-days  the  people 
went  to  church  for  the  service  of  the  Holy  Commun- 
ion, or  the 'Mass'  as  it  was  then  commonly  called; 
and  probably  most  of  them  could  follow  the  service 
after  they  became  used  to  it;  but  they  did  not  join 
with  the  priest  in  its  words,  and  they  rarely  received 


8  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

the  Sacrament.  And  still  further,  as  there  had 
crept  into  the  Church  errors  of  one  kind  and  another, 
about  which  we  read  in  the  history  of  those  times, 
the  services  came  to  be  in  some  things  different  from 
what  they  had  once  been  and  what  they  ought  to 
have  been. 

Among  the  changes  in  England  at  the  time  of  the 
Reformation,  one  of  the  most  important  was  the 
adoption  of  a  Book  of  Common  Prayer  in  the  lan- 
guage of  the  people.  The  first  service  to  be  put  into 
English  was  the  Litany;  this  was  set  forth  by 
Archbishop  Cranmer  under  the  authority  of  King 
Henry  VIII  in  1544.  Within  a  few  years  Henry 
died  and  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  the  boy  king 
Edward  VI.  In  his  reign,  early  in  the  year  1548, 
there  was  published  "The  Order  of  the  Commun- 
ion" in  English,  which  was  to  be  used  on  and  after 
the  Easter  of  that  year.  It  did  not  displace  any 
part  of  the  Latin  service  of  the  Mass;  but  it  pro- 
vided that  after  the  priest  had  consecrated  the  bread 
and  wine  and  had  received  the  Sacrament,  he  should 
say  a  service  of  preparation  for  the  communicants 
and  then  should  administer  to  them  both  of  the  con- 
secrated elements,  using  in  all  an  English  form  of 
words.  This  new  service  had  in  it  what  we  now 
have  in  the  Exhortation  and  Invitation  ("Ye  who  do 
truly"),  the  Confession  and  Absolution,  the  Comfort- 
able Words,  and  the  Prayer  of  Humble  Access 
("We  do  not  presume"),  and  the  administration  in 
both  kinds  with  the  former  half  of  the  sentences  now 


INTRODUCTORY 


used,  followed  by  a  Benediction.  This  great  and 
important  act,  giving  to  the  people  in  their  own 
tongue  a  service  for  the  full  reception  of  the 
Eucharist,  prepared  the  way  for  an  act  still  greater. 
The  Archbishop  and  those  who  were  associated  with 
him  continued  their  work,  and  soon  had  ready  for 
the  printers  a  complete  Book  of  Common  Prayer. 
It  was  duly  authorized  and  first  used  on  Whitsun- 
day, which  was  the  ninth  day  of  June,  in  the  year 

1549- 

This  Prayer  Book  did  not  have  in  it,  nor  did  it 
need  to  have,  much  that  was  new.  Its  compilers 
had  the  old  service-books,  and  in  particular  that 
form  of  the  Latin  service-book  known  as  the  Use  of 
Sarum  (Salisbury),  which  had  been  most  widely  fol- 
lowed in  England  since  about  the  year  1180;  and  in 
these  books  was  much  which  had  been  used  from  the 
beginning:  Collects  which  even  then  were  a  thousand 
years  old.  Epistles  and  Gospels  which^had  been  in 
use  nearly  as  long,  besides  the  Book  of  Psalms  for 
worship  and  all  the  rest  of  the  Bible  for  Lessons; 
and  for  the  ministration  of  the  Sacrament  and  other 
holy  rites  they  wished,  as  indeed  they  felt  it  their 
duty,  to  follow  the  custom  of  the  Church  in  her  best 
and  purest  days,  with  adaptation  to  the  needs  of  the 
time.  And  for  their  assistance  they  had  before 
them,  besides  the  Latin  services  with  which  they 
were  familiar,  the  Greek  Liturgies  and  the  ancient 
Spanish  services,  the  plans  for  reformation  of  the 
daily   services   proposed    by    the    Spanish    Cardinal 


10  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  RRA  YER 

Quinones'and  studied  by  Cranmer,  and  suggestions 
from  the  reforming  Archbishop  of  Cologne,  Hermann 
by  name,  and  from  other  German  sources. 

In  the  use  of  this  material  the  compilers  were 
guided  by  three  principles.  First,  they  wished  to 
put  the  services  into  English,  so  that  all  could  under- 
stand them  and  read  them  (or  at  least  commit  their 
parts  understandingly  to  memory),  and  thus  use 
them;  and  this  was  largely,  if  not  entirely,  done  by 
Archbishop  Cranmer  himself,  who  had  wonderful 
skill  as  a  translator  from  Latin  and  a  writer  of  Eng- 
lish. Secondly,  they  were  determined  to  make  the 
services  simple,  in  order  that  they  might  be  'under- 
standed'  and  readily  followed  and  learned,  and  also  to 
make  them  instructive,  especially  by  providing  for 
large  readings  from  God's  Word.  And  thirdly,  they 
felt  it  their  duty  to  correct  errors  of  doctrine  and  of 
practice  which  in  course  of  time  had  found  their  way 
into  the  service-books  and  into  the  manner  of  using 
them.  The  result  was,  as  has  been  said,  the  Prayer 
Book  of  1549,  often  called  the  First  Book  of  Edward 
VI,  which  with  some  changes,  but  very  few  of  real 
importance,  is  still  used  in  the  English  Church  and 
in  our  own.  The  detailed  history  of  the  several  of- 
fices, as  well  before  the  adoption  of  this  first  English 
Book  as  after  it,  will  be  best  given  later  on,  as  each 
office  comes  under  consideration;  but  a  general  state- 
ment as  to  the  several  revisions  may  be  made  here. 


'Commonly  called  '  Quignon'  by  English  writers. 


INTRO  D  UCTOR  Y  1 1 

First,  we  must  note  that  in  the  present  English 
and  American  Books,  Morning  and  Evening  Prayer 
from  the  Lord's  Prayer  through  the  third  Collect, 
the  Litany,  the  Collects  with  the  Epistles  and 
Gospels,  and  the  Occasional  Offices  (beginning  with 
that  for  the  Ministration  of  Baptism  and  perhaps 
making  an  exception  of  the  Burial  Ofifice)  have  not 
been  greatly  changed  from  the  services  of  1549;  while 
the  Ordination  services  remain  almost  exactly  as 
they  were  set  forth  in  1550.  As  to  the  Communion 
Office,  it  was  modified  in  several  important  particu- 
lars in  1552,  and  in  the  English  Church  has  been 
little  changed  since  that  date  except  in  the  Words  of 
Administration ;  our  Church  has  taken  the  Prayer  of 
Consecration  from  the  Scottish  Liturgy. 

The  cause  for  the  next  revision,  which  followed 
within  four  years,  was  that  there  early  grew  up  an 
influential  party  which  held  and  taught  that  the 
Reformation  had  not  gone  far  enough  when  the  first 
Prayer  Book  was  adopted,  and  insisted  on  the  need  of 
greater  changes  in  things  religious  and  devotional 
than  had  yet  been  made;  while  others  were  pushing 
for  a  return  to  some  things  which  had  been  aban- 
doned ;  and  in  those  troublous  times  the  leaders  did 
not  always  feel  sure  that  they  had  been  working 
along  the  right  lines.  A  revision  was  ordered,  and 
changes  were  made,  some  of  them  in  the  direction  of 
the  Reformation  on  the  Continent,  but  almost  all  in 
reality  affecting  rather  the  form  than  the  doctrine  of 
the  earlier  Book.     It  will  be  well  to  remember  that  in 


12  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 

this  book  the  penitential  introduction  was  prefixed 
to  Morning  and  Evening  Prayer,  the  Ten  Com- 
mandments were  placed  at  the  beginning  of  the 
Communion  Office,  and  this  service  and  those  which 
follow  were  put  practically  into  their  present  form; 
the  one  notable  exception  being  that  at  the  ad- 
ministration of  the  Holy  Communion  the  words  pro- 
vided were  the  second  half  of  the  present  forms: 
"Take  and  eat  this  .  .  .  ",  "Drink  this  in  remem- 
brance .  .  .",  what  is  now  the  former  half  having 
been  prescribed  in  1549  but  omitted  in  1552.  This 
second  book  was  to  come  into  use  on  All  Saints'  Day 
in  1552;  but  there  was  delay  at  the  printers,  and  it 
can  hardly  have  been  used  at  all;  for  Edward  died 
in  July,  1553,  and  his  sister  Mary  who  succeeded 
him  held  to  the  Roman  obedience  and  put  a  stop  to 
the  work  of  reformation.  For  the  five  cruel  years  of 
her  reign  the  use  of  the  English  Prayer  Book  was 
forbidden  by  law.  The  great  Queen  Elizabeth, 
Edward's  and  Mary's  sister,  came  to  the  throne  in 
1558;  and  in  the  following  year  the  Prayer  Book  was 
again  published  and  came  at  once  into  general  use. 
It  was  the  edition  of  1552,  modified  by  bringing  to- 
gether at  the  administration  of  the  Holy  Communion 
the  words  provided  in  the  first  and  the  second  Books  of 
Edward  VI,  so  as  to  give  the  forms  now  used,  and 
with  scarce  any  other  changes ;  yet  under  the  Queen's 
influence,  though  it  was  the  Book  of  1552,  there 
seem  to  have  been  retained  with  it  some  of  the 
usages  and  spirit  of  that  of  1549. 


INTRODUCTORY  13 

The  Puritan  influence,  strongly  opposed  to  Epis- 
copacy and  the  Prayer  Book,  was  held  in  restraint 
during  her  long  reign,  and  necessary  opposition  to  it 
strengthened  the  convictions  of  English  Churchmen. 
When  her  successor,  James  I,  came  to  the  throne  in 
1603,  a  conference  of  Churchmen  and  Puritans  was 
held  under  the  presidency  of  the  king  at  Hampton 
Court;  but  the  king  threw  the  weight  of  his  learning 
and  his  pedantry  against  the  insurgent  party,  and 
the  new  edition  of  the  Prayer  Book  in  1604  practically 
differed  from  the  preceding  only  in  the  addition  to 
the  Catechism  of  the  questions  and  answers  as  to 
the  Sacraments.  James  died  in  1625,  and  in  the 
troublous  times  of  his  son,  Charles  I,  the  combined 
influence  of  Presbyterianism  and  Puritanism,  aided 
by  the  King's  unwise  attempt  to  force  a  Prayer  Book 
on  Scotland  in  1637  and  by  his  other  blunders,  led  to 
the  apparent  overthrow  of  the  Church  of  England. 
Archbishop  Laud  was  beheaded ;  in  1645  an  ordi- 
nance of  Parliament  established  Presbyterianism  and 
abolished  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer  and  forbade 
its  use  in  public  or  private;  in  1649  the  king,  who 
always  kept  faithful  to  the  Church,  was  brought  to 
the  block;  and  the  Presbyterian  establishment  re- 
mained in  force  till  the  end  of  the  Commonwealth  in 
1660.  After  the  accession,  or  rather  restoration,  of 
Charles  II  in  1661,  a  debate  was  held  at  the  Savoy 
Palace  in  London  between  twelve  divines  of  the 
Church  of  England  and  twelve  of  the  opposing  party, 
who  brought  almost  innumerable  objections  against 


14  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

the  Prayer  Book,  verbal  and  rubrical  and  doctrinal. 
It  led  to  the  recognition  that  the  system  of  the 
Church  and  that  of  the  Puritans  were  irreconcilable, 
and  that  the  logical  place  of  the  latter  was  not  as 
dissenters  but  as  separatists.  A  thorough  review  of 
the  Prayer  Book  was  undertaken,  however,  by  the 
authorities  of  the  Church;  the  book  was  carefully 
edited;  in  the  Prayer  for  the  Church  in  the  Com- 
munion Ofifice  an  explicit  oblation  and  a  commemo- 
ration of  the  departed  were  inserted ;  a  large  number 
of  minor  changes,  nearly  all  editorial,  were  made; 
and  the  Standard  Prayer  Book  of  the  Church  of 
England  for  nearly  250  years  has  been  the  edition  of 
1662.  No  alteration  has  been  made  in  the  Book 
since  that  date,  except  the  necessary  changes  of 
names  in  the  prayers  for  the  sovereign  and  the  royal 
family  and  the  provision  (in  1871)  of  new  tables  of 
Lessons;  some  permission  for  shortening  the  daily 
services  has  been  given  by  authority  of  Convocation 
and  Parliament  (1872),  but  the  rubrics  remain  as 
before. 

An  attempt  at  revision  was  made  in  1689  as  part 
of  the  scheme  of  comprehension  under  William  and 
Mary,  but  the  report  (not  printed  till  1855)  was 
never  presented  to  Convocation;  there  is  a  reference 
to  it,  but  based  on  no  accurate  knowledge  of  its  con- 
tents, in  the  Preface  to  our  Prayer  Book.  In  1879 
the  Convocations  of  Canterbury  and  York  proposed 
amendments  to  the  rubrics  in  reply  to  'Letters  of 
Business'  from  the  Crown ;  but  no  action  was  taken 


INTRODUCTORY  15 

on  their  recommendations.  Quite  recently  'Letters 
of  Business'  have  been  again  issued  for  this  purpose; 
and  at  this  writing  (1912)  a  report  from  an  influential 
Committee  is  under  discussion  with  a  view  to  some 
such  revision  as  was  accomplished  in  our  Church 
seventeen  years  ago. 

In  English  works  on  the  Prayer  Book,  and  elsewhere,  the 
reader  will  find  frequent  references  to  two  rubrics  which  are  not 
in  our  American  Book,  the  '  Ornaments  Rubric  '  and  the  '  Black 
Rubric'. 

The  Ornaments  Rubric  stands  just  before  the  beginning  of 
Morning  Prayer,  and  is  now  in  these  words :  "  And  here  it  is 
to  be  noted,  that  such  Ornaments  of  the  Church  and  of  the 
Ministers  thereof  at  all  times  of  their  ministration,  shall  be  re- 
tained and  be  in  use,  as  were  in  this  Church  in  England,  by  the 
authority  of  Parliament,  in  the  second  year  of  the  reign  of 
King  Edward  the  Sixth."  The  word  'ornaments',  as  applied  to 
a  church,  includes  what  we  should  call  'furnishings',  such  as 
altar-cloths  and  candlesticks ;  and  as  applied  to  ministers,  it  in- 
cludes vestments. 

The  first  Book  of  Edward  VI  contained  directions  as  to  the 
dress  of  the  clergy,  including  a  surplice  at  matins  and  evensong 
and  "  a  white  alb  plain  with  a  vestment  [which  seems  to  mean 
a  chasuble]  or  cope."  The  second  Book  forbade  the  use  of 
alb,  vestment,  and  cope,  but  ordered  for  priests  and  deacons  a 
surplice  only.  In  Elizabeth's  Book  of  1559,  the  Ornaments 
Rubric,  as  far  as  the  ornaments  of  the  minister  were  con- 
cerned, took  the  present  form ;  the  reference  to  the  ornaments 
of  the  church  was  inserted  in  1662.  This  rubric  has  been  and 
still  is  in  England  the  occasion  of  great  controversy,  the  ques- 
tion really  being  whether  the  Prayer  Book  requires  the  use  of 
what  are  known  as  the  'eucharistic  vestments'.  The  opinions 
of  men  learned  in  ecclesiastical  and  statute  law  have  been 
diverse  ;  there  is  a  lack  of  agreement  as  to  the  meaning  of  the 
date  ;  and  some  have  held  that  the  rubric  was  modified  by  other 
legal  action  taken  in  Elizabeth's  reign.     It  is  to  be  feared  that 


16  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 

some  opinions  and  some  decisions  of  courts  in  the  matter  have 
been  affected  by  prejudice ;  and  to  most  of  us  it  seems  that 
over-great  importance  has  been  attached  to  the  interpretations 
of  the  rubric.  It  can  hardly  be  held  to  have  any  legal  or 
canonical  weight  in  this  country ;  and  a  commentary  on  the 
American  Book  may  be  excused  from  expressing  an  opinion  as 
to  its  application. 

The  Black  Rubric  stands  after  the  rubrics  at  the  end  of  the 
Communion  Office,  and  is  really  a  declaration  in  defence  of  the 
requirement  that  communicants  shall  receive  the  Sacrament 
kneeling.  It  is  printed  in  italic,  Hke  the  rubrics  ;  but  when  the 
rubrics  are  printed  in  red  ink,  as  they  ought  to  be  by  reason  of 
their  name  which  expresses  ancient  custom,  this  remains  in 
black ;  hence  it  is  called  the  Black  Rubric.  It  was  first  placed 
in  the  Book  of  1552,  and  was  again  inserted  in  its  present  form 
in  1662.  Although  evidently  not  written  by  a  careful  theologian, 
it  is  of  value  as  distinguishing  between  the  right  meaning  of 
kneeling  at  the  reception  of  the  Sacrament  and  a  possible  per- 
version of  it.  Our  Church  has  lost  nothing,  except  a  cause  of 
endless  controversy,  by  its  omission. 

It  may  be  well  to  note  that  in  the  American  Prayer  Book 
proper  there  is  no  mention  of  ministerial  vestments ;  and  that 
in  the  Ordinal  it  is  simply  provided  that  persons  to  be  or- 
dained deacons  or  priests  shall  be  "  decently  habited ",  and 
that  a  Bishop-elect  when  presented  to  the  Presiding  Bishop 
shall  be  "vested  with  his  rochet"  and  before  the  '  Veni  Creator' 
shall  "  put  on  the  rest  of  the  Episcopal  habit."  The  only  allu- 
sion to  vestments  in  our  Canons  is  the  provision  that  a  lay- 
reader  "  shall  not  wear  the  dress  appropriate  to  clergymen 
ministering  in  the  congregation"  (Canon  22,  §  iii).  In  this 
lack  of  rubrical  or  canonical  provision,  we  fall  back  upon  the 
law  of  custom ;  and  it  is  certainly  a  fair  question  how  far  the 
lawfulness  of  custom  may  be  interpreted  for  us  by  the  Orna- 
ments Rubric  of  the  English  Church. 


INTRODUCTORY  17 

The  American  Prayer  Book 

In  this  country,  as  soon  as  Englishmen  began  to 
make  settlements,  they  brought  with  them  the  Prayer 
Book.  The  first  use  of  the  Book  within  the  present 
limits  of  the  United  States  appears  to  have  been  in 
1579,  when  the  chaplain  of  Sir  Francis  Drake  read 
prayers  at  the  time  of  a  landing  on  the  Pacific  coast 
near  the  site  of  San  Francisco;  but  the  first  perma- 
nent settlement  at  which  it  was  used  was  Jamestown 
in  Virginia,  where  services  began  with  the  beginning 
of  the  colony  in  1607.  The  adherents  of  the  Church 
of  England  in  the  several  colonies  held  different 
relations  to  the  civil  authority,  but  they  all  acknowl- 
edged the  somewhat  shadowy  authority  of  the  Bishop 
of  London  as  their  Diocesan  and  used  faithfully  the 
Prayer  Book  of  the  English  Church.  In  some 
places  —  the  most  notable  instances  being  in  Con- 
necticut—  copies  of  that  book  were  the  Church's 
first  and  most  effective  missionaries.  As  no  Bishop 
came  to  visit  the  colonies,  the  services  for  Confirma- 
tion and  Ordination  could  not  be  held;  but  the  other 
services  were  constantly  used,  the  only  variation 
noted  being  that  some  clergymen  omitted  the  exhor- 
tation to  the  sponsors  of  children  baptized,  that  they 
should  bring  them  to  the  Bishop  to  be  confirmed. 

After  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  the  united 
parishes  of  Christ  Church  and  St.  Peter's  in  Phila- 
delphia were  the  first  to  direct  the  omission  of  the 
Prayers  for  the  King  and  Royal  Family  of  Great 
3 


1 8  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 

Britain;  in  other  places  like  action  was  soon  taken; 
and  presently  Prayers  for  the  United  States  and  for 
Congress  were  read  in  many  churches.  But  a  con- 
siderable part  of  the  clergy,  especially  in  the  north- 
ern colonies,  were  strong  adherents  of  the  Crown, 
and  held  that  they  were  still  bound  by  the  oath  of 
allegiance  which  they  had  taken  at  their  ordination. 
Some  of  these,  under  pressure  of  circumstances, 
ceased  to  minister  at  all  in  public,  or  contented 
themselves  with  reading  from  the  Bible,  preaching, 
and  saying  the  Lord's  Prayer;  some  found  safety 
within  the  British  lines;  and  a  few,  in  spite  of 
threats  and  actual  violence,  continued  to  read  the 
services  in  their  churches  without  alteration  or  omis- 
sion. But  as  soon  as  the  war  was  practically  over,* 
Churchmen  throughout  the  land  began  to  consider 
the  problems  which  confronted  them,  and  in  particu- 
lar those  which  were  involved  in  the  necessary  ar- 
rangements for  public  worship  under  the  new  condi- 
tion of  affairs  and  for  securing  the  Episcopate. 

Action  was  first  taken  in  Connecticut,  where  on  the 
25th  of  March,  1783,  Samuel  Seabury  was  elected 
Bishop  and  sent  to  ask  for  consecration  in  England 
or  Scotland.  He  was  consecrated  in  Aberdeen  in 
November,  1784;  when  he  returned  to  his  diocese 
in  the  following  year  he  gave  instructions  to  his 
clergy  as  to  the  necessary  changes  in  the  services, 


*The  cessation  of  hostilities  was  proclaimed  April  19,  1783, 
but  the  treaty  of  peace  was  not  signed  till  September  3  of  that 
year. 


INTRODUCTORY  19 

and  a  year  later,  in  1786,  he  set  forth  for  his  Diocese 
the  Communion  service  as  used  by  the  Scottish 
Bishops  who  had  consecrated  him.  Before  this 
time,  however,  delegates  from  seven  Southern 
States,  as  they  were  then  called  (for  'Southern' 
meant  New  York  and  all  south  of  it,  the  division 
being  at  Byram  River),  had  met  in  Philadelphia 
near  the  end  of  September,  1785;  and  it  was  one  of 
the  'fundamental  principles'  enunciated  in  the  call 
for  this  meeting  that  they  should  "adhere  to  the 
Liturgy"  of  the  Church  of  England  "so  far  as  shall 
be  consistent  with  the  American  Revolution  and  the 
Constitutions  of  the  respective  States."  This  Con- 
vention of  1785  drafted  "an  Ecclesiastical  Constitu- 
tion for  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the 
United  States  of  America";  adopted  a  petition  to 
the  English  Archbishops  and  Bishops  that  they 
would  grant  the  Episcopate  to  the  Church  in  this 
country;  agreed  to  a  few  alterations  in  the  Prayer 
Book  due  to  the  change  in  the  form  of  government, 
and  also  appointed  a  committee  to  consider  "such 
alterations  in  the  Liturgy  as  it  may  be  advisable  to 
recommend  for  the  consideration  of  the  Church  here 
represented."  A  large  number  of  changes  in  all 
parts  of  the  Prayer  Book  were  reported;  and  the 
Convention  agreed  to  "propose  and  recommend" 
them,  leaving  the  question  of  their  adoption  to  an- 
other  Convention. 

This  revision  (if  it  may  be  so  called)  was  largely 
the  work  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  William  Smith,  formerly  of 


20  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 

Pennsylvania  and  Provost  of  the  University,  but  then 
of  Maryland ;  and  the  publication  of  a  book  embodying 
the  proposed  changes  was  left  to  him  with  the  Rev. 
William  White  (afterwards  Bishop  of  Pennsylvania) 
and  the  Rev.  Dr.  Wharton  of  Delaware.  The  Book, 
known  as  the  'Proposed  Book',  was  published  on  the 
first  day  of  April,  1786.'  It  was  at  once  seen  to  have 
proposed  too  many  and  radical  changes;  no  one  seems 
to  have  thought  it  satisfactory;  and  it  was  used  but  in 
a  few  places  and  for  a  short  time.  The  English  Bish- 
ops wrote  that  they  were  grieved  to  observe  some  of  the 
changes  which  had  been  made  in  the  forms  of  wor- 
ship, and  particularly  that  the  Nicene  Creed  and  the 
Athanasian  Creed  had  been  omitted  altogether,  and 
that  the  clause  "He  descended  into  hell"  had  been 
omitted  from  the  Apostles'  Creed ;  and  they  more 
than  intimated  that  they  would  take  no  steps  to 
grant  the  Episcopate  to  the  Church  in  the  United 
States  until  these  matters  were  corrected.  Another 
Convention  of  delegates  from  the  'Southern'  States 
met  in  October,  1786;  it  voted  unanimously  to  re- 
store the  Nicene  Creed,  making  it  an  alternative  for 
the  Apostles',  barely  adopted  a  motion  to  restore  the 
clause  as  to  the  descent  into  hell,  and  negatived  a 
proposal  to  replace  the  Athanasian  Creed.  The 
English  Bishops  were  satisfied  with  this  action,  and 
on    February   4,    1787,    in   the   Chapel   of   Lambeth 


^It  was  reprinted  in  England  with  the  label,  "American 
Prayer  Book",  and  is  sometimes  quoted  as  having  an  authority 
which  it  never  possessed. 


INTRODUCTORY  21 

Palace,  Dr.  William  White  was  consecrated  Bishop 
of  Pennsylvania,  and  Dr.  Samuel  Provoost  Bishop 
of  New  York. 

The  next  Convention  —  it  was  really  the  first  Gen- 
eral Convention  —  met  at  Philadelphia  in  the  autumn 
of  1789;  a  complete  union  of  the  Church  in  all  the 
States  was  effected  on  October  2nd ;  the  Convention 
was  organized  in  two  Houses,  and  action  was  at  once 
taken  in  regard  to  the  Prayer  Book.  Bishops  Sea- 
bury  and  White  (Bishop  Provoost  being  detained  at 
home  by  sickness)  began  to  propose  amendments  to 
the  English  Prayer  Book ;  the  House  of  Deputies, 
with  Dr.  William  Smith  presiding,  appointed 
committees  to  propose  new  formularies,  but  all  was 
done  here  also  on  the  lines  of  the  English  Book;  the 
"Proposed  Book"  was  not  mentioned,  and  had  little 
influence  on  the  result. 

The  work,  though  it  was  accomplished  in  two 
weeks,  was  not  careless  or  hasty.  The  two  Bishops 
and  those  of  the  deputies  who  specially  had  the 
matter  in  hand  —  such  men  as  Dr.  Smith  and  Dr. 
Parker  of  Massachusetts  —  had  long  had  both  the 
principles  and  the  details  of  an  American  revision 
under  consideration.  Many  minor  changes  were 
made  in  the  use  of  words  and  phrases  liable  to  be 
misunderstood  or  lacking  in  precision;  a  desire  to 
avoid  repetitions,  to  shorten  some  of  the  services,  and 
to  provide  for  special  needs,  accounts  for  other 
changes;  and  in  some  cases,  few  of  them  involving 
any   principle,    concession   was   made   to   objections 


22  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 

which  were  not  very  reasonable.  It  is  not  possible 
here  to  name  any  but  the  most  important  of  the  par- 
ticulars in  which  this  first  American  Book  differed 
from  the  English/  The  most  serious  oraisssion  was 
that  of  the  Magnificat  and  the  Nunc  Dimittis,  to- 
gether with  the  latter  part  of  the  Benedictus;  valua- 
ble additions  were  the  prefixing  of  Habakkuk  ii.  20, 
Malachi  i.  11,  and  Psalm  xix.  14,  15,  to  Morning  and 
Evening  Prayer,  and  the  insertion  (though  dis- 
cretionary) of  our  Lord's  Summary  of  the  Law  after 
the  Ten  Commandments;  there  was  also  an  advantage 
in  the  insertion  of  a  service  for  Thanksgiving-day 
and  of  Family  Prayers;  and  the  Form  for  the  Visi- 
tation of  Prisoners,  not  in  the  English  Book,  was 
taken  from  the  Irish  Prayer  Book  of  171 1. 

But  the  most  important  of  all  things  at  this  revision 
was  the  adoption,  in  the  Order  for  the  Holy  Com- 
munion, of  the  Scottish  form  of  the  Prayer  of  Conse- 
cration, with  a  single  modification,  itself  in  the 
direction  of  primitive  usage,  proposed  at  this  time 
by  deputies  from  Maryland.  The  Churchmen  in 
New  England,  and  especially  in  Connecticut,  had 
beome  familiar  with  it  from  Bishop  Seabury's  office, 
now  in  use  for  some  three  years;  and  when  Bishop 
Seabury,  following  a  promise  made  to  his  consecra- 
tors  as  well  as  his  own  convictions,  proposed  that  it 


*  A  full  account  of  them  will  be  found  in  the  article  on  the 
American  Prayer  Book  in  Frere's  Procter's  New  History  of 
the  Book  of  Com?non  Prayer,  pp.  243  fi.;  they  will  also  be 
readily  seen,  of  course,  in  a  comparison  of  the  two  Books. 


INTRODUCTORY  23 

be  substituted  for  the  English  form,  he  found  that 
Bishop  White  did  not  oppose  it.  There  was  some 
objection  to  it,  we  are  told,  when  it  began  to  be  read 
in  the  House  of  Deputies;  but  Dr.  Smith,  himself 
(by  the  way)  a  Scotchman,  reproved  those  who  found 
fault  with  something  which  they  had  not  heard,  and 
thereupon  read  the  prayer  with  so  impressive  a  tone 
and  manner  that  it  was  accepted  "without  opposition 
and  in  silence".  Thus  there  was  provided  for  the 
Church  in  the  United  States  a  Prayer  of  Consecra- 
tion for  the  Holy  Communion  which  conformed  to 
the  usage  of  the  primitive  Church  by  containing 
an  explicit  Oblation  and  an  explicit  Invocation  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  after  the  recital  of  the  Words  of 
Institution ;  a  gift  of  untold  value  and,  it  cannot 
be  doubted,  a  bond  of  unity  in  this  Church  for  all 
time. 

The  new  Prayer  Book  went  into  use  October  i, 
1790.  The  Ordinal  was  set  forth  in  1792,  the  first 
service  read  from  it  being  that  of  the  Consecration  of 
Bishop  Claggett  of  Maryland,  on  whom  hands  were 
laid  by  Bishops  White,  Provoost,  and  Madison,  of 
the  direct  English  succession,  with  Bishop  Seabury, 
who  had  been  consecrated  in  Scotland.  In  1799  the 
Form  of  Consecration  of  a  Church,  based  on  that 
drawn  up  by  Bishop  Andrewes  of  Winchester  in 
1620,  and  a  Prayer  to  be  used  at  the  Meetings  of 
Convention,  were  added  to  the  Prayer  Book;  and  in 
1804  an  office  of  Institution  of  Ministers,  already 
adopted  in    Connecticut   and   New   York,    was   also 


24  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

added.  The  Articles  of  Religion  were  adopted  in 
their  American  form  in  1801. 

The  only  change  made  in  the  Prayer  Book  or 
Offices,  after  their  adoption  as  above  stated,  until 
the  year  1886,  with  the  exception  of  modifications  in 
the  Tables  of  Lessons  in  and  after  1877  and  the  cor- 
rection of  a  few  manifest  errors,  was  the  change  of 
'north'  to  'right'  at  the  beginning  of  the  Communion 
Office,  which  was  made  in  1835.  The  House  of 
Bishops,  however,  on  several  occasions  expressed 
their  formal  opinion  upon  matters  as  to  which  the 
rubrical  directions  were  not  sufficiently  clear,  or  for 
which  (as  for  the  proper  postures  in  certain  parts 
of  the  Communion  service)  there  were  no  rubrical 
directions. 

In  1826,  a  proposal  made  by  Bishop  Hobart,  of 
New  York,  for  the  authorization  of  shortened  ser- 
vices, was  approved  by  both  Houses  of  the  General 
Convention;  but  it  found  so  little  favor  in  the 
Church  at  large  that  it  was  quietly  dropped  at  the 
next  Convention.  In  1853,  the  Rev.  Dr.  William 
A.  Muhlenberg  and  others  presented  to  the  Bishops 
a  memorial  asking  that  provision  be  made  for  a  re- 
laxation of  the  obligation  of  the  rubrics  in  certain 
cases.  It  led  to  much  discussion,  but  to  no  immedi- 
ate results,  except  a  declaration  from  the  Bishops 
that  Morning  Prayer,  the  Litany,  and  the  Order  for 
the  Holy  Communion  were  separate  services;  that 
on  special  occasions  the  clergy  might  use  any  parts 
of  the  Bible  and  the  Prayer  Book  at  their  discretion, 


INTRODUCTORY  25 

and  that  the  Bishops  might  set  forth  forms  of  service 
under  peculiar  circumstances.  Other  proposals  for 
the  modification  of  rubrical  requirements  were  made 
in  1 868  and  later  years;  but  the  plans  suggested  or 
proposed  were  not  adopted. 

At  the  General  Convention  of  1880,  a  resolution 
introduced  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  William  R.  Huntington,' 
then  of  Massachusetts,  but  later  of  New  York,  was 
adopted,  providing  for  the  appointment  of  a  joint 
committee  to  consider  and  report  whether,  at  the  end 
of  the  first  century  of  the  work  of  the  fully  organized 
Church  in  the  United  States,  there  was  occasion  for 
"alterations  in  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer  in  the 
direction  of  liturgical  enrichment  and  flexibility  of 
use".  This  committee  presented  a  report  in  1883, 
together  with  the  'Book  Annexed'  showing  the 
Prayer  Book  as  it  would  appear  if  all  the  additions 
and  alterations  proposed  by  it  should  be  adopted.  A 
large  number  of  these  proposals,  with  some  others 
introduced  by  individual  members,  were  approved; 
and,  as  required  by  the  Constitution,  the  Dioceses 
were  notified  of  them  that  final  action  might  be  taken 
at  the  next  Convention.  In  1886,  the  Convention 
had  before  it  the  'Book  Annexed  as  Modified',  show- 
ing the  Prayer  Book  with  all  the  changes  which  had 
been  approved  three  years  before.     When  the  matter 


'  His  death,  while  these  pages  were  in  writing  on  the  26th  day 
of  July,  1909,  calls  for  a  tribute  of  affectionate  esteem  from  one 
whose  privilege  it  was  to  work  with  him  and  to  learn  from  him 
in  liturgical  matters. 


26  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 

came  to  a  vote,  eighty-four  resolutions  of  addition  or 
amendment  were  adopted,  and  some  twenty-five 
substitutes  for  other  proposals  were  sent  to  the  next 
Convention ;  it  was  also  agreed  that  a  Book  of  Offices 
should  be  prepared,  to  contain  forms  for  occasions 
for  which  no  provision  was  made  in  the  Prayer  Book. 
In  1889,  seventeen  resolutions  of  amendment  were 
finally  adopted,  and  some  fifty  more  received  for  pre- 
liminary approval;  the  plan  of  a  Book  of  Offices  was 
allowed  to  drop.  And  in  1892,  forty-three  additions  or 
alterations  were  finally  adopted,  nearly  all  —  as  was  in- 
deed the  case  at  the  preceding  Conventions — by  a  prac- 
tically unanimous  vote.  Then  a  Standard  Prayer  Book, 
embodying  all  the  changes  made,  with  a  careful  revis- 
ion of  the  text,  was  set  forth.  All  editions  printed  since 
that  time  have  been  made  to  conform  to  the  Standard ; 
and,  with  the  possible  exception  of  the  Authorized  and 
Revised  Versions  of  the  English  Bible,  there  is  no  book 
in  the  world  more  carefully  printed  than  our  Prayer 
Book;  while  the  editing  of  its  text,  being  more  mod- 
ern, is  better  than  that  of  the  Bible  itself. 

It  remains  to  speak  of  the  more  important  of  the 
changes  made  in  our  Prayer  Book  by  the  action  com- 
pleted in  1886,  1889,  and  1892.*  By  far  the  larger 
part  call  for  no  notice  here,  having  to  do  with  correc- 
tions of  the  rubrics  or  the  readjustment  of  some  of 
the  less  frequently  used  services. 


*  In  the  latter  part  of  this  Book,  changes  made  at  any  time  in 
the  course  of  the  last  revision  are  generally  attributed  to  1893, 
the  year  of  the  publication  of  the  Standard. 


INTRODUCTORY  27 

Provision  was  made  for  shortening  Morning  and 
Evening  Prayer,  for  omitting  the  Commandments 
and  the  long  Exhortation  in  the  Communion  Office, 
and  for  abbreviating  some  of  the  Occasional  Offices, 
all  under  carefully  stated  conditions.  A  large  num- 
ber of  invitatory  sentences,  not  penitential,  was  pre- 
fixed to  Morning  and  Evening  Prayer;  Magnificat 
and  Nunc  Dimittis,  with  the  omitted  verses  of 
Benedictus,  were  restored ;  the  full  number  of 
versicles  was  placed  after  the  Creed  at  Evening 
Prayer,  and  a  new  Prayer  for  the  Civil  Authority 
was  provided  for  the  same  service.  In  the  Litany, 
a  petition  for  more  labourers  was  provided;  the 
Penitential  Office  was  inserted  (three  of  its  prayers 
had  been  in  the  former  Book);  and  three  occasional 
Prayers  —  for  Unity,  for  Missions,  and  for  Fruitful 
Seasons  (Rogation  prayers),  and  one  occasional 
Thanksgiving,  for  a  Child's  Recovery  from  Sick- 
ness, were  added.  Collects,  Epistles,  and  Gospels 
were  provided  for  a  first  Communion  on  Christmas- 
day  and  on  Easter-day  and  for  the  festival  of  the 
Transfiguration;  the  title  of  the  Sunday  next  before 
Advent  took  the  place  of  that  of  the  Twenty-fifth 
Sunday  after  Trinity;  and  several  needed  rubrics  were 
inserted.  In  the  Communion  Office,  besides  the  per- 
mission to  omit  the  Decalogue  except  once  on  each 
Sunday,  and  the  Exhortation  after  it  has  been  read 
on  one  Sunday  in  the  month,  it  was  required  that 
the  Nicene  Creed  be  said  on  the  five  great  festivals 
of  the  year;  five  new  Offertory  sentences  were  pro- 


28  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

vided ;  the  Sanctus  and  the  Prayer  of  Consecration 
were  printed  in  paragraphs;  and  the  Warnings 
were  placed  after  the  Blessings  and  Collects.  A  form 
of  presentation  of  candidates  and  a  Lesson  (the  latter 
for  discretionary  use)  were  inserted  in  the  Confirma- 
tion Office;  some  of  the  omitted  clauses  were  re- 
stored to  the  exhortation  in  the  Marriage  Service; 
and  three  additional  prayers  were  placed  at  the  end 
of  the  Burial  Office.  Note  should  be  made  also  of 
the  provision  of  twenty  selections  of  Psalms  instead 
of  ten,  and  of  Proper  Psalms  for  ten  days  to  which 
they  had  not  been  assigned  before.* 

It  is  this  Prayer  Book,  according  to  the  use  of  the 
Church  in  the  United  States,  received  from  the 
English  Church,  adapted  to  our  needs  in  this  Re- 
public in  1790,  again  carefully  revised  with  reference 
to  possibilities  of  service  for  a  new  century  in  1892, 
offered  to  all  the  people  of  the  land  by  the  Church 
whose  special  use  it  is,  which  forms  the  subject  of 
the  notes  and  comments  in  the  following  chapters. 


*The  days  newly  provided  with  Proper  Psalms  are  the  First 
Sunday  in  Advent,  the  Circumcision,  the  Epiphany,  the  Puri- 
fication, the  Annunciation,  Easter-even,  Trinity  Sunday,  the 
Transfiguration,  Michaelmas,  and  All  Saints'  Day. 


INTRODUCTORY  29 


GENERAL  BIBLIOGRAPHY 

A  few  books  are  almost  necessary  for  any  study  of  the 
Prayer  Book.     Such  are  : — 

Bishop  Barry's  Teacher's  Prayer  Book,  in  its  American  edi- 
tion ;  and — 

The  English  Prayer  Book  of  the  present  reign. 

And  with  these  it  is  very  desirable  to  have  — 

Bright  and  Medd's  Latin  version  of  the  English  Prayer  Book 
and  the  American  Communion  Office,  which  gives  the  original 
of  Collects,  Canticles,  etc.,  and  the  Epistles  and  Gospels  and 
the  Psalms  from  the  Vulgate  ;  also  — 

The  First  Prayer  Book  of  Edward  VI  (1549),  accessible  in 
cheap  form  in  Everyman's  Library  and  in  The  Ancient  and 
Modern  Library  of  Theological  Literature.  There  are  also 
editions  of  the  Prayer  Book  of  1549  with  the  Order  of  Com- 
munion of  1548  and  the  Ordinal  of  1550  (wrongly  given  as  1549), 
one  published  by  Rivingtons  in  1869  and  one  edited  by  Dr. 
Morgan  Dix  and  published  in  New  York  in  1881.  (The 
Ancient  and  Modern  Library  has  also  the  Second  Book  of 
Edward  VI  and  the  EHzabethan  Book.) 

The  successive  editions  of  the  English  Prayer  Book,  with  the 
Scottish  Book  of  1637,  have  been  reprinted  in  Pickering's 
sumptuous  edition  ;  they  are  given  in  parallel  columns  in  Keel- 
ing's  Liturgies  Britantiica,  a  very  valuable  book  but  not  often 
offered  for  sale. 

In  the  Parker  Society's  Publications  is  a  volume  containing 
the  two  Edwardine  Books  with  the  Order  of  Communion  of 
1548;  they  are  also  published  in  Card  well's  Two  Books  of 
Common  Prayer.  The  Litany  of  1544  can  be  found  (of  all 
queer  places)  at  the  end  of  the  Parker  Society's  volume  lettered 
"  Private  Prayers  Queen  Elizabeth." 

McGarvey's  Liturgies  Americance  (Philadelphia,  1895)  gives 
in  parallel  columns  the  editions  of  the  American  Book  with  the 
non-English  sources,  and  some  useful  notes. 


30  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 

Of  the  numerous  works  on  the  whole  Prayer  Book,  historical 
and  explanatory  in  character,  the  following  may  be  specially 
mentioned : — 

Wheatly  (Charles),  Rational  Illustration  of  the  Book  of 
Common  Prayer.  An  old  book  with  much  material  from  still 
older  writers,  but  very  interesting  and  with  much  out-of-the- 
way  information. 

Palmer  (William),  Origines  Liturgiccs,  or  Antiquities  of  the 
English  Ritual.  Now  out  of  date,  but  it  gave  an  inspiration 
to  all  modern  study  of  the  Prayer  Book. 

Lathbury  (Thomas),  A  History  of  the  Book  of  Common 
Prayer  and  other  books  of  authority. 

Stephens  (Archibald  John),  The  Book  of  Common  Prayer, 
with  notes,  legal  and  historical.     3  volumes. 

Procter  (Charles)  and  Frere  (W.  H.),  A  New  History  of 
the  Book  of  Common  Prayer,  with  a  rationale  of  its  offices.  A 
well-known  book  of  a  former  generation,  rewritten  (1901)  in 
the  light  of  recent  scholarship,  and  the  best  general  book  on 
the  subject.  It  contains  (pp.  234-252)  a  pretty  full  history  of 
the  American  Prayer  Book  by  the  writer  of  this  volume,  and 
throughout  the  commentary  has  notes  on  the  differences  be- 
tween the  English  and  the  American  Books. 

Burbridge  (Edward),  Liturgies  and  Offices  of  the  Church. 
Particularly  good  as  to  origins  and  the  connection  with  Greek 
and  Latin  sources. 

Campion  (W.  M.)  and  Beamont  (W.  J.),  The  Prayer  Book 
Interleaved. 

Daniel  (Evan),  The  Prayer  Book,  its  History,  Language, 
and  Contents. 

Blunt  (John  Henry),  The  Annotated  Book  of  Common 
Prayer.  A  book  of  wide  learning,  giving  Latin  originals  and 
the  Vulgate  Psalter  ;  but  not  recently  revised.  There  is  also  a 
compendious  edition,  without  the  Latin,  having  a  monograph 
on  the  American  Prayer  Book  by  the  present  writer. 

PuUan  (Leighton),  The  History  of  the  Book  of  Common 
Prayer  (in  the  Oxford  Library  of  Practical  Theology).  Full, 
and  with  recent  material ;  better  arranged  than  Frere's  Procter. 
It  has  a  chapter  on  the  Scottish,  American,  and  Irish  Books. 


INTRODUCTORY  31 

Maude  (J.  H.),  A  History  of  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer 
(in  the  Oxford  Church  Text  Books).  A  good  small  Manual, 
but  with  some  misprints. 

Procter  (F.)  and  Maclear  (G.  F.),  An  Elementary  Introduc- 
tion to  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer. 

S.  P.  C.  K.  Prayer  Book  Commentary  for  Teachers  and 
Students,  by  various  authors.  A  great  deal  of  valuable  ma- 
terial in  small  space.  It  has  a  Concordance  to  the  Prayer 
Book  and  a  Concordance  to  the  Psalter. 

Luckock  (H.  M.),  Studies  in  the  History  of  the  Book  of 
Common  Prayer. 

Uearmer  (Percy),  The  Parson's  Handbook.  It  contains 
"  Practical  Directions  as  to  the  Services  according  to  the  Eng- 
lish Use  "  as  interpreted  by  the  author. 

Parker  (James),  An  Introduction  to  the  History  of  the  Suc- 
cessive Revisions  of  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer. 

Parker  (James),  The  First  Prayer  Book  of  Edward  VI  com- 
pared with  the  successive  Revisions ;  also,  A  Concordance  to 
the  Rubricks. 

Butler  (Clement  M.),  History  of  the  Book  of  Common 
Prayer. 

Garrison  (J.  F.),  The  American  Prayer  Book.  Bohlen 
Lectures,  1887. 

Temple  (Edward  L.),  The  Church  in  the  Prayer  Book.  An 
American  book  ;  instructive  and  devotional. 

Huntington  (William  R.),  Short  History  of  the  Prayer  Book. 

Coxe  (Bishop  A.  C),  Thoughts  on  the  Services.  New  edi- 
tion, edited  by  Bishop  Whitehead. 

The  "  Proposed  Book  "  of  1785,  with  the  omission  of  the  Visi- 
tation of  the  Sick  and  the  Articles,  was  reprinted  for  the  Re- 
formed Episcopal  Church  in  1873. 

The  history  of  the  English  Prayer  Book  is  treated  in  the 
volumes  named  above,  and  at  least  incidentally  in  all  histories 
of  the  Enghsh  Church.  Those  the  titles  of  which  follow  next 
have  specially  to  do  with  principles  and  origins : — 


32  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

Freeman  (Philip),  The  Principles  of  Divine  Service.  Very 
learned  and  valuable ;  deals  specially  with  the  English  Daily 
Offices  and  Communion  Service. 

Duchesne  (Mgr.  L.),  Christian  Worship:  Its  Origin  and 
Evolution ;  a  Study  of  the  Latin  Liturgy  up  to  the  time  of 
Charlemagne.  Of  great  and  w^ide  learning ;  absolutely  neces- 
sary for  the  careful  student.     (Translated,  S.  P.  C.  K.) 

Pullan  (Leigh ton).  The  Christian  Tradition:  Chapter  V, 
on  the  Genius  of  Western  Liturgies. 

Here  may  be  noted  also,  Daniel  (H.  A.),  Codex  Liturgicus 
Ecclesicp.  UniverscE.  Vol.  I,  Roman  ;  Vol.  H,  Lutheran  ;  Vol. 
Ill,  Reformed  and  Anglican  ;  Vol.  IV,  Oriental. 

Warren  (F.  E.)  Liturgy  of  the  Ante-Nicene  Church.  Of 
wide  scope  and  very  instructive. 

Warren  (F.  E.),  Liturgy  and  Ritual  of  the  Celtic  Church. 

The  following  bear  specially  on  the  direct  sources  of  the 
English  Book : — 

The  Roman  Breviary,  Missal,  etc. 

The  Sarum  Breviary,  Missal,  etc. ;  also  other  English  uses. 

The  Marquess  of  Bute's  translation  of  the  Breviary  into 
English  is  of  great  use. 

Mozarabic  Service-books. 

The  Quignonian  Breviary  (Cambridge,  1888;  Henry  Brad- 
shaw  Society,  1908,  191 1).  The  second  volume  of  the  later 
publication  (the  Second  Recension)  contains  a  life  of  Cardinal 
Quignon. 

Maskell  (William),  Monumenta  Ritualia  Ecclesice  Angli- 
cana.  Valuable  and  interesting.  It  contains,  among  other 
things,  an  Ancient  Primer  in  English. 

Maskell  (William),  The  Ancient  Liturgy  of  the  Church  of 
England,  according  to  the  Uses  of  Sarum,  Bangor,  York,  and 
Hereford,  and  the  modern  Roman  Liturgy,  arranged  in  parallel 
columns.     Contains  also  the  Liturgy  of  St.  Clement  in  Greek. 

Gasquet  (F.  A.),  and  Bishop  (E.),  Edward  VI  and  the  Book 
of  Common  Prayer  (1890).  Gives  Cranmer's  schemes  for  re- 
forming the  services  before  1549,  and  many  other  details  not 
before  published. 


INTRODUCTORY  33 

Cardwell  (Edward),  History  of  Conferences  and  other  Pro- 
ceedings connected  with  the  Revision  of  the  Book  of  Common 
Prayer,  15  58- 1690. 

The  Order  of  Communion  of  1548  has  been  reproduced  by 
photography  for  the  Henry  Bradshaw  Society  (1907).  This 
Society  has  also  published  the  excessively  rare  Clerk's  Book  of 
1549,  with  notes. 

The  black-letter  Prayer-Book  of  1636,  with  manuscript 
changes  made  in  it  for  the  Book  of  1662,  has  been  reproduced 
by  photography ;  as  has  also  the  manuscript  book  appended  to 
the  Act  of  Parliament  of  1661,  which  is  the  present  English 
Standard. 

The  Book  of  Common  Prayer  interleaved  with  the  proposed 
Revised  Liturgy  of  1689  (1855). 

The  Convocation  Prayer  Book,  being  the  Book  of  Common 
Prayer  with  altered  rubrics  as  recommended  by  the  Convoca- 
tions of  Canterbury  and  York  in  1879. 

Dowden  (Bishop  John),  The  Workmanship  of  the  Prayer 
Book  ;  also,  Further  Studies  in  the  Prayer  Book.  Very  inter- 
esting and  helpful. 

The  services  contained  in  Peter  Hall's  Reliquice  LiturgiccB 
and  Fragmenta  Liturgica  deserves  to  be  examined  by  careful 
students  of  liturgical  history  ;  his  reprints  are  not  always  exact. 

For  the  history  of  the  American  Prayer  Book,  the  Journals 
of  General  Convention  should  be  consulted ;  also,  Bishop 
William  White's  Memoirs  of  the  Episcopal  Church,  which  is 
an  original  authority  of  great  value  ;  Chapter  VI  in  the  second 
volume  of  Bishop  W.  S.  Perry's  History  of  the  American  Epis- 
copal Church,  on  the  Prayer  Book  as  '  Proposed '  and  finally 
Prescribed,  with  parts  of  later  chapters ;  and  notices  in  other 
histories.  See  also  the  notes  to  the  present  writer's  facsimile 
edition  of  Bishop  Seabury's  Communion  Office. 

The  Reports  of  the  Committee  on  Liturgical  Revision  (1883- 

1892)   will  be  found   in  the  Journals  of  General  Convention ; 

the  Book  Annexed  and  the  Book  Annexed  as  Modified  show 

the  changes  proposed ;  and  a  number  of  pamphlets  published 

4 


34  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 

at  the  time  show  the  progress  of  the  work  and  the  arguments 
for  and  against  its  continuance.  The  report  of  the  committee 
appointed  to  prepare  a  Standard  Book,  containing  much  his- 
torical matter,  is  printed  as  an  appendix  to  the  Journal  of  the 
General  Convention  of  1892. 

The  occurrence  of  the  350th  anniversary  of  the  first  English 
Prayer  Book  in  1899  gave  occasion  for  the  publication  of  sev- 
eral historical  sketches  of  the  book. 

For  the  origins  of  the  American  Communion  Office,  see  be- 
low. Bibliography  of  the  Communion  Service. 

A  Concordance  to  the  English  Prayer  Book,  by  the  Rev.  J. 
Green,  was  published  at  London  in  185 1 ;  and  a  Concordance 
to  the  American  Prayer  Book,  by  the  Rev.  J.  Courtney  Jones, 
was  published  at  Philadelphia  in  1898. 


II. 

THE  PRELIMINARY  PAGES  OF  THE 
PRAYER  BOOK 

Title,  Ratification,  Preface 

THE  Title-page,  as  has  indeed  been  already 
noted,  declares  what  the  Book  contains,  and 
names  by  its  formal  title  the  Church  which  has  set  it 
forth.  Strictly  speaking,  a  'rite'  is  a  service,  and  a 
'ceremony'  is  an  observance  in  a  service;  in  the  'rite' 
of  the  burial  of  the  dead  the  casting  of  the  earth  is  a 
'ceremony' ;  but  it  may  be  questioned  whether  the 
words  here  were  not  meant  to  be  synonymous.  The 
Table  of  Contents  enumerates  twenty-nine  items,  the 
order  of  which  ought  to  be  familiar  to  all  who  use 
the  Book ;  it  ends  with  the  Psalter.  Then  follow  in 
italic  the  titles  of  the  three  items  of  our  'Pontifical' 
and,  separated  from  them,  the  title  of  the  Articles. 

The  Ratification  gives  the  sanction  of  authority  to 
the  Book  for  the  members  of  the  Church  which  set  it 
forth.  It  might  have  been  thought  that  the  thorough 
revision  of  the  Prayer  Book  in  late  years,  including 
the  insertion  of  not  a  few  things  which  were  new, 
would  have  called  for  a  new  ratification;  but  such 
was  not  the  opinion  of  the  legal  authorities.  There 
is,  therefore,  nothing  in  the  Book  to  show  that  it  is 
not  exactly  as  it  was  established  and  ordered  to  be 
put  into  use  in  the  year  1790;  and  in  future  years,  if 


36  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

not  at  present,  there  will  be  need  of  something 
like  'higher  criticism'  to  determine  the  dates  of  the 
several  parts  of  a  volume  which  bears  but  one  date. 

The  Preface,  presumably  from  the  pen  of  Dr. 
William  Smith,  is  a  well-worded  statement  of  the 
principles  on  which  our  forefathers  in  the  Faith  un- 
dertook and  carried  out  this  important  part  of  the 
task  which  the  circumstances  of  the  "critical  time  of 
the  Republic"  and  the  Church  in  the  Republic  laid 
upon  them.     It  should  be  carefully  read. 

Concerning  the  Service  of  the  Church 

The  two  pages  following  the  Preface  contain  cer- 
tain general  directions,  after  the  manner  of  rubrics,' 
as  to  the  Service  of  the  Church  and  the  use  of  the 
Psalms  and  of  the  Lessons  of  Scripture;  the  tables 
of  Proper  Psalms  and  of  Selections  of  Psalms,  in- 
cluded in  these  pages,  are  repeated  at  the  beginning 
of  the  Psalter. 

While  the  normal  Prayer  Book  service  for  any 
Sunday  includes  the  Order  for  Morning  Prayer,  the 
Litany,  and  the  Order  for  the  Administration  of  the 
Lord's   Supper  or  Holy  Communion;  and  while  for 


^  The  word  '  rubric',  originally  meaning  in  both  Latin  and 
English  red  earth  or  ochre,  came  to  be  applied  to  the  parts  of  a 
book  which  were  written  or  printed  in  red,  and  in  particular  to 
the  headings  or  titles  of  laws  ;  thence  it  passed  to  the  directions 
in  liturgical  books  for  the  conduct  of  the  services  and  the  use 
of  the  several  parts,  which  were  customarily  written,  and  later 
printed,  in  red.  In  ordinary  Prayer  Books,  instead  of  being  in 
red  ink,  rubrics  are  now  printed  in  italic  type. 


PRELIMINARY  PA  GES  OF  PRA  YER  BOOK      37 

all  days  other  than  Sundays,  Morning  Prayer  is  pro- 
vided, with  the  Litany  on  Wednesdays  and  Fridays, 
and  Evening  Prayer  for  every  day  in  the  year; 
and  while,  moreover,  there  is  special  provision  for  the 
administration  of  the  Holy  Communion  on  any  day,* 
yet  our  Church  states  here  that  the  three  morning 
services  "are  distinct,  and  may  be  used  either 
separately  or  together";  and  by  the  proviso,  "that 
no  one  of  these  services  be  habitually  disused",  she 
certainly  implies  that  it  is  lawful  to  use  on  any 
morning  one  or  two  only  of  the  services  named. 
And  while  the  normal  order  of  the  services  is  cer- 
tainly, first  Morning  Prayer,  then  Litany,  and  then 
Holy  Communion,  there  is  no  requirement  that  this 
order  shall  be  followed ;  indeed,  the  second  clause 
under  the  head  "Concerning  the  Service  of  the 
Church"  gives  permission  for  the  use  of  the  Litany 
after  Evening  Prayer.  It  belongs  to  practical  Pas- 
toral Theology  rather  than  to  Liturgies  to  decide  in 
each  case  what  is  the  best  order  of  services  for  a  con- 
gregation and  what  are  the  hours  at  which  they  may 
most  profitably  be  held;  and  it  belongs  also  to  the 
clergyman  of  the  parish  or  congregation  to  decide, 
subject  to  the  counsel  of  his  Bishop,  as  to  the  inter- 
pretation, for  himself  and  his  people,  which  he  will 
give  to  the  proviso  just  quoted.  It  may  be  well  to 
note  that  nothing  in  the  paragraph  under  considera- 


''See  the  first  rubric  after  the  heading  of  Collects,  Epistles, 
and  Gospels. 


38  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 

tion  allows  any  omission  in  any  service  other  than  is 
permitted  by  the  rubrics  of  that  service. 

The  proviso  in  this  paragraph  certainly  cannot 
override  the  requirement  in  the  first  rubric  after  the 
Collects  at  the  end  of  the  Communion  Office,  which 
provides  that  upon  every  Sunday  and  other  Holy-day 
there  "shall  be  said  all  that  is  appointed  at  the  Com- 
munion, unto  the  end  of  the  Gospel,  concluding  with 
the  Blessing";  that  is  to  say,  assuming  that  there  is 
a  clergyman  to  officiate,  the  former  part  of  the  Com- 
munion  Service,  with  the  Epistle  and  Gospel,  must 
be  said  at  some  time  on  each  Sunday  and  Holy-day. 

Although  permission  is  given  for  reading  the 
Litany  after  the  Collects  of  Evening  Prayer,  it  must 
be  remembered,  as  just  noted,  that  this  is  not  its 
normal  place.  Yet  sometimes  advantage  may  well 
be  taken  of  the  opportunity  to  say  the  Litany  at 
Evening  Prayer,  as  when  in  a  small  congregation  the 
only  week-day  service  in  Lent  is  after  noon,  or  when 
it  is  desirable  for  some  other  reason  to  have  a 
separate  Litany  service  as  an  act  of  supplication, 
with  or  without  a  sermon. 

The  third  clause  provides  for  what  were  once 
called  'Third  Services',  for  special  congregations  or 
for  special  occasions,  and  its  wording,  with  a  fourfold 
restriction,  should  be  carefully  noted.  "Subject  to 
the  direction  of  the  Ordinary"  does  not  mean  that 
the  Ordinary  need  be  asked  for  approval  in  every 
case,  but  that  the  minister  is  not  to  arrange  a  ser- 
vice if  the  Ordinary  has  given  other  directions  for  it. 


PRELIMINARY  PA  GES  OF  PRA  VER  BOOK      39 

The  Ordinary  {Judex  ordinarius,  judge  by  reason  of 
his  order  or  position)  is  the  Bishop,  or  if  there  is  no 
Bishop  the  person  who  exercises  the  "ecclesiastical 
authority",  that  is,  generally  under  our  canons,  the 
President  of  the  Standing  Committee  of  the  Diocese. 
The  fourth  clause  requires  that,  on  any  special  Fast 
or  Thanksgiving  day  or  other  special  occasion,  if 
the  Bishop  sets  forth  a  form  of  service,  that  form  is 
to  be  followed.  If  the  Bishop  does  not  set  forth  a 
form  of  service,  the  minister  (see  below)  may  select 
Lessons  at  his  discretion. 

The  Psalter 

The  instructions  as  to  the  reading  of  the  Psalms 
are  simple,  and  carry  out  the  rule  adopted  in  the  first 
English  Prayer  Book,  of  a  monthly  instead  of  a 
weekly  recitation  of  the  Psalter.  The  direction  in 
our  Prayer  Book  before  the  last  revision,  that  in 
February  the  Psalter  "shall  be  read  only  to  the  twenty- 
eighth  or  twenty-ninth  day  of  the  month",  is  doubt- 
less still  binding  by  the  rule  of  common  sense.  It  is 
convenient,  when  there  is  daily  service,  in  months 
with  thirty-one  days,  to  read  selections  at  Evening 
Prayer  on  the  thirtieth  and  at  Morning  Prayer  on 
the  thirty-first  day,  and  then  to  end  the  month  with 
the  Psalms  which  lead  to  the  great  doxology  of 
Psalm  cl. 

The  Proper  Psalms  are  never  to  be  displaced  by  Se- 
lections. Until  the  last  revision  our  Book  followed 
the  English  in  assigning  Proper  Psalms  to  none  but 


40  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

the  four  great  feasts  and  the  two  great  fasts  of  the 
year;  the  English  Book  had  none  assigned  to  Ash- 
Wednesday  and  Good  Friday  until  1662,  and  had  and 
still  has  no  provision  for  displacing  inappropriate 
Psalms  by  others  chosen  from  varied  Selections.  The 
ten  Selections  of  our  Book  of  1790  and  the  twenty 
Selections  of  1892,  with  the  Proper  Psalms  on  sixteen 
days,  have  greatly  added  to  the  richness  and  appro- 
priateness of  our  services,  as  also  to  their  adapt- 
ability to  places,  times,  and  men's  manners.  Some- 
times at  Evening  Prayer  the  Psalm  for  the  fifteenth 
day  of  the  month  is  too  long,  or  one  of  those  for  the 
thirteenth  or  the  twenty-second  day  cannot  be  read  to 
edification ;  or  at  Morning  Prayer  we  may  find  the 
Psalm  for  the  thirteenth  day  coming  into  a  penitential 
service,  or  the  Psalms  for  the  tenth  day  falling  on  (say) 
the  first  Sunday  after  Easter.  The  thoughtful  clergy- 
man will  look  carefully  at  the  Psalms  as  well  as  at  the 
Lessons  which  he  is  to  read,  and  will  secure  on  all 
special  days  as  great  a  unity  in  the  service  as  he  can; 
while  yet  he  will  not  forget  that  the  Psalter  is  in  its 
entirety  a  great  mirror  of  human  life,  and  that  there 
is  a  vast  power  of  instruction  and  of  worship  in  its 
regular  and  unbroken  use. 

It  may  be  convenient  to  note  the  times  or  occasions 
for  which  the  several  Selections  of  Psalms  are  specially 
appropriate: — 

The  First,  for  Saints'  Days; 

the  Second,        made   up  from    the   ancient  Com- 
pline Psalms,  for  a  night  service ; 


PRELIMINARY  PA  GES  OF  PR  A  YER  BOOK      41 


the  Third,  for  Saints'  Days,  or  for  Ascension- 

tide; 

the  Fourth,  for  Thanksgiving-day  or  Harvest 
festivals; 

the  Fifth,  for  the  Holy  Communion; 

the  Sixth,  for  a  penitential  service; 

the  Seventh,  consisting  of  one  Psalm  of  distinct- 
ively Old  Testament  mould,  may 
do  for  some  memorial  occasions ; 

the  Eighth  serves  for  a  solemn  service  of  peni- 

tence; 

the  Ninth,  for  Christmas  or  Epiphany-tide; 

the  Tenth  and  Eleventh  are  generally  suitable  to 
replace  an  unsuitable  Psalm ; 

the  Twelfth  is  well  adapted  to  a  Parochial  or 
Church  anniversary; 

the  Thirteenth    is  suitable  for  a  missionary  service ; 

the  Fourteenth,  for  an  ordinary  service  in  Lent; 

the  Fifteenth,     for  a  service  of  thanksgiving; 

the  Sixteenth,     for  Palm-Sunday  or  Easter-tide; 

the  Seventeenth,  Eighteenth,  and  Nineteenth, 
while  differing  in  tone,  may  all  be 
classed  as  general ;  while 

the  Twentieth    is  a  special  doxology. 


Note. — As  has  been  said,  and  as  will  be  specially  noted  when 
we  come  to  the  study  of  the  Daily  Offices,  the  theory  of  the 
Breviary  was  and  is  that  the  Psalter  is  to  be  read  through  once 
in  each  week  and  that  (with  a  few  exceptions)  each  Psalm  is  to 
be  read  but  once.  But  the  substitution  of  offices  for  the  dead 
or  offices  in  honor  of  the  Virgin  Mary  for  the  regular  services, 
and  the  introduction  of  numerous  Saints'  days  having  special 
Psalms  assigned  to  them,  practically   overthrew  the  original 


42  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

scheme  ;  the  Breviary  to-day  provides  for  the  constant  use  of 
Proper  Psalms  and  Selections  of  Psalms,  as  we  should  call 
them ;  and  projects  of  reform  have  been  made  in  modern 
times  "  by  which  the  recitation  of  the  whole  Psalter  would  be 
rendered  possible  at  least  several  times  in  the  course  of  the 
year" — and  this,  when  the  theory  is  that  it  is  to  be  recited 
fifty-two  times  in  a  year. 

Lessons  on  Scripture 

In  the  historical  sketch  of  the  Daily  Services,  pre- 
fixed to  the  notes  on  Morning  and  Evening  Prayer,  it 
will  be  noted  that  one  of  the  most  important  of  the 
changes  made  in  those  services  when  the  Prayer 
Book  was  set  forth  in  English  was  the  provision  for 
large  readings  of  Holy  Scripture  in  two  Lessons' 
each  day  from  the  Old  Testament  and  two  from  the 
New,  and  the  exclusion  of  all  Lessons  from  the 
writings  of  the  Fathers  or  from  legendary  histories. 
That  rule  has  been  preserved  in  the  English  and  the 
American  Prayer  Books,  to  the  great  edification  of 
those  who  use  them.  As  first  appointed  in  1549, 
the  Lessons  consisted  almost  invariably  of  whole 
chapters,  and  nearly  everything  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment and  the  Apocrypha  (except  Chronicles)  was 
read  once  a  year.  The  Gospels  and  Acts  were  read 
through  three  times  a  year  for  the  Second  Morning 
Lessons,  and  the  Epistles  twice  a  year  for  the 
Second  Evening  Lessons;  the  book  of  Revelation 
was  not  read  at  all  in  course.     This  order  was  broken 


^This  is  'lections',  'readings'. 


PRELIMINARY  PA  GES  OF  PR  A  YER  BOOK      43 

by  the  provision  of  special  Lessons  for  certain  of  the 
Holy-days  which  had  a  place  in  the  Calendar;  but, 
except  for  some  changes  in  these  special  Lessons, 
the  tables  of  1549  remained  unchanged  in  England 
until  1871. 

In  the  first  Prayer  Book  there  were  very  few  Proper 
Lessons;  in  fact,  the  continuous  reading  of  Scrip- 
ture was  unbroken  on  Sundays  except  on  Easter-day, 
Whitsunday,  and  Trinity-Sunday;  and  no  one  of 
these  days  had  all  four  of  its  Lessons  assigned,  so 
that  very  incongruous  chapters  must  have  been  often 
read.  In  1559,  proper  First  Lessons  were  assigned 
to  each  Sunday  in  the  year,  Isaiah  beginning  to  be 
read  at  Advent  and  Genesis  at  Septuagesima;  the 
historical  books  served  till  about  the  middle  of  the 
Trinity  season,  and  chapters  from  the  Prophets  and 
from  Proverbs  were  assigned  to  the  rest,  while  there 
were  no  proper  Second  Lessons  on  Sundays  except 
on  the  three  first  mentioned ;  and  these  tables  also 
remained  unchanged  until  1871.  In  this  year  the  Eng- 
lish tables  were  recast;  tables  of  Daily  Lessons,  the 
general  plan  of  which  is  followed  by  our  own  present 
tables,  were  adopted;  while  a  choice  of  two  First 
Lessons  was  given  for  each  Sunday  evening,  and 
proper  Second  Lessons  were  assigned  to  Septuages- 
ima, the  Sunday  next  before  Easter,  and  the  First 
Sunday  after  Easter.  Thus  on  all  Sundays  in  the 
year  except  six,  the  Second  Lessons  in  the  English 
Church  are  still  those  for  the  day  of  the  month  —  a 
provision  which  has  something  indeed   in   its  favor, 


44  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

but  which  would  not  commend  itself  to  many  who  are 
in  the  habit  of  using  our  Book. 

The  Tables  of  Lessons  in  our  Book  of  1790  were 
taken  from  the  Proposed  Book  of  1785,  and  seem  to 
have  been  the  work  of  Dr.  William  Smith,  in  consul- 
tation with  Bishop  White.  They  gave  us  for  eighty 
years  a  far  more  satisfactory  and  instructive  course 
of  Sunday  and  week-day  Scripture  reading  than  the 
Church  of  England  had.  In  the  Old  Testament 
Lessons  many  chapters  were  divided,  and  many 
less  edifying  passages  were  omitted ;  and  the  exclu- 
sion of  the  Apocrypha  made  room  for  all  which  it 
was  thought  best  to  read  from  the  canonical  books. 
In  the  Second  Lessons,  the  division  of  chapters  in 
the  Gospels  and  the  Acts  —  none  was  divided  in  the 
Epistles  —  called  for  a  full  reading  of  all  the  New 
Testament  twice  a  year,  except  that  the  Revelation 
was  not  read  at  all.  All  Holy-days  were  given 
proper  First  Lessons,  and  chapters  from  the 
Apocrypha  served  for  a  large  part  of  those;  and 
some  Holy-days  had  proper  Second  Lessons.  And 
all  Sundays  had  four  Proper  Lessons,  the  scheme  of 
this  arrangement  being  practically  the  same  as  that 
in  our  present  tables,  with  Isaiah  beginning  at  Ad- 
vent and  Genesis  at  Trinity-Sunday ;  only  the  First 
Lessons  for  the  last  Sundays  after  Trinity  were 
taken  from  the  Proverbs.  After  the  adoption  in 
England  of  the  tables  of  1871,  permission  was  given 
by  the  General  Convention  for  their  use  in  our 
Church ;  but  they  were  not  found  in  accordance  with 


PRELIMINARY  PA  GES  OF  PRA  YER  BOOK     45 

the  principles  of  selection  to  which  our  clergy  and 
people  were  accustomed. 

Our  present  Tables  of  Lessons  date  from  1883,  and 
(as  far  as  they  were  new)  they  were  largely  the  work, 
it  is  believed,  of  Bishop  Lay  of  Easton.  Few  changes 
were  made  in  the  Sunday  Lessons,  but  those  for 
Holy-days  were  nearly  all  selected  anew,  and  the 
Calendar  Lessons  were  entirely  rearranged,  the  lines 
being  those  suggested  by  the  English  tables  of  a 
few  years  earlier,  but  the  details  being  quite  different. 
There  were  larger  omissions  from  the  Old  Testament 
than  before,  by  which  room  was  made  for  Lessons 
from  the  Apocrypha  on  nineteen  days  in  November; 
in  the  former  half  of  the  year  the  Gospels  were 
appointed  for  Second  Lessons  at  Morning  and  the 
Acts  and  Epistles  at  Evening,  while  in  the  latter  half 
of  the  year  this  arrangement  was  reversed ;  and  place 
was  kept  on  the  thirteen  last  free  days  of  the  year  for 
the  whole  of  the  book  of  Revelation.*  A  Commis- 
sion of  the  General  Convention  has  now  (1912)  in 
hand  a  new  revision  of  the  Tables  of  Lessons. 

The  general  rubrics  as  to  the  use  of  the  Lessons, 
found  on  page  viii  of  the  Prayer  Book,  should  be 
carefully  noted.  The  phrase  'Movable  Holy-days' 
occurs  here  for  the  first  time;  it  means  those  which 
do  not  fall  always  on  the  same  day  of  the  month,  and 
therefore  'move'  in  the  civil  or  Roman  calendar;  and 


*The   English  tables  strangely  omit  three  chapters  of  this 
book. 


46  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 

it  includes  all  Sundays  and  all  Holy-days,  such  as 
Ash-Wednesday,  Good  Friday,  and  Ascension-day, 
which  depend  directly  upon  Easter  and  move  with 
it.  It  hardly  needs  to  be  noted  that  in  the  fourth 
paragraph  "the  Lesson  from  the  Gospels  appointed 
for  that  day  of  the  Month"  does  not  mean  the  Gospel 
appointed  for  the  Communion  Service  for  that  day. 
The  provision  in  the  fifth  paragraph,  applicable  to 
any  week-day  which  is  not  a  Holy-day,  gives  to  the 
minister  the  opportunity  of  selecting  the  most  edify- 
ing lessons,  when  there  are  but  one  or  two  week-day 
services  between  Sundays;  yet  he  needs  to  remem- 
ber that  a  variation  from  the  appointed  order  may 
disturb  those  who  are  in  the  habit  of  reading  all  the 
Lessons  at  home,  and  also  that  sometimes  strange 
or  unfamiliar  passages  of  Scripture  have  a  message 
peculiarly  their  own. 

It  may  be  noted  here  that  the  Table  of  Proper 
Lessons  for  the  Forty  Days  of  Lent  and  for  the 
Rogation  and  Ember-days  (page  xi  of  the  Prayer 
Book)  is  not  obligatory;  these  Lessons  "may  be 
used  in  place  of  those  appointed  in  the  Calendar", 
but  it  is  not  required  that  they  be  so  used.  And 
the  writer  trusts  that  he  may  be  pardoned  for  ex- 
pressing his  opinion  that  they  are  not  very  satis- 
factory, at  least  as  far  as  those  specially  provided  for 
Lent   are   concerned.*    And   on  the  Ember-days  in 


"The  Lessons  for  Ash-Wednesday  and  Holy  Week  are  the 
same  as  those  in  the  required  tables. 


PRELIMINARY  PA  GES  OF  PRA  YER  BOOK      47 

December  it  seems  ill-advised  to  break  in  on  the 
reading  of  Isaiah  and  Revelation  for  any  other 
passages,  even  if  technically  more  appropriate.  But 
criticism  here,  as  elsewhere,  may  well  be  held  in 
suspense  for  the  present. 

The  question  as  to  the  Lessons  to  be  read  when  a 
Sunday  and  a  Holy-day  concur  will  be  considered 
under  the  head  of  Collects,  Epistles,  and  Gospels. 

Hymns  and  Anthems 

The  note  as  to  'Hymns  and  Anthems'  declares  in 
what  places  Hymns  and  Anthems  may  be  sung; 
namely,  "before  and  after  any  Office  in  this  Book, 
and  also  before  and  after  Sermons."  It  does  not 
require  that  a  Hymn  or  Anthem  shall  always  be  sung 
wherever  it  is  lawful  to  sing  it;  and  the  judgment  of 
the  best  'ritualists'  (that  is  to  say,  students  of  ritual 
and  of  liturgical  use)  seems  to  be  calling  for  less 
singing  of  Hymns,  at  least  before  and  after  ordinary 
services,  than  has  been  the  custom  of  late.  The  use 
of  other  Hymns  than  those  in  the  authorized  Hymnal 
and  other  Anthems  than  those  in  the  words  of  Holy 
Scripture  or  of  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer,  is  not 
explicitly  forbidden  here;  but,  in  the  judgment  of  the 
writer,  there  is  a  moral  obligation  not  to  use  others, 
unless  indeed  it  can  be  shown  that  some  uses  of 
them  (as,  for  instance,  at  the  receiving  of  alms)  are 
extra-rubrical.  As  to  this,  a  note  will  be  made  when 
the  rubric  in  the  Communion  Office  is  reached. 


48  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

The  Calendar,  with  Tables  of  Lessons 

The  Table  of  Lessons  for  the  several  months  (on 
pages  xii-xxiii  inclusive)  is  in  reality,  as  the  Table 
of  Contents  shows,  "The  Calendar,  with  Tables  of 
Lessons."  The  Calendar  occupies  three  columns  — 
in  March  and  April,  four  columns.  In  one  of  those 
columns  are  the  numbers  of  the  days  of  the  month; 
in  second,  the  Sunday  Letters;  in  a  third,  the  names 
of  the  immovable  Holy-days;  and  in  the  prefixed 
column  for  March  and  April  are  the  Golden  Numbers. 

The  Dominical  or  Sunday  Letters  are  the  first 
seven  letters  of  the  alphabet  ('A'  being  printed  as  a 
capital,  to  catch  the  eye  more  readily),  placed  in 
succession  against  the  numbers  which  indicate  the 
day  of  the  month  and  repeated  throughout  the  Calen- 
dar. If  the  year  begins  with  Sunday,  then  every 
day  in  the  year  against  which  the  letter  *A'  stands  is 
Sunday;  if  January  4th  is  the  first  Sunday,  then  'd' 
is  the  Sunday  Letter  of  the  year  and  every  day 
marked  'd'  is  Sunday.  Conversely,  if  we  know  the 
Sunday  Letter  of  a  year,  we  can  easily  determine  the 
day  of  the  week  on  which  any  date  in  the  civil 
year  falls;  as  for  instance,  if  we  know  that  the  Sun- 
day Letter  of  the  year  1890  was  'g',  we  see  that  the 
4th  day  of  July  in  that  year  was  a  Wednesday,  inas- 
much as  the  letter  of  that  day  is  'c',  and  'c'  follows 
three  letters  after  'g'.  But  a  leap  year  has  two  Sun- 
day Letters,  the  29th  day  of  February  moving  all  the 
later  days  of  the  year  one  step  back  in  the  week; 


PRELIMINARY  PA  GES  OF  PRA  YER  BOOK     49 

thus,  if  'd*  is  the  Sunday  Letter  with  which  the  year 
begins,  February  29th  will  be  Sunday,  and  the  next 
Sunday  will  be  March  7th,  which  has  the  letter  'c', 
so  that  this  will  be  the  Sunday  Letter  for  the  rest  of 
the  year. 

The  letters  marking  the  first  days  of  the  several 
months  in  succession  ('A'  for  January,  'd'  for  Febru- 
ary and  March,  *g'  for  April,  etc.)  may  be  remem- 
bered as  the  initial  letters  of  the  words  of  the  jingle:— 

"At  Dover  Dwells  George  Brown,  Esquire, 
Good  Christopher  Fipps,  And  David  Fryer." 

If  we  know  that  the  Sunday  Letter  of  a  year  was 
'e*,  we  can  tell  from  this  that  June  in  that  year  began 
on  Sunday;  February,  March  and  November,  on 
Saturday ;  September  and  December,  on  Monday,  etc. 
This  Sunday  Letter  is  commonly  used  in  almanacs  to 
mark  the  Sundays. 

The  Calendar  in  our  Prayer  Book  contains  only 
those  immovable  Holy-days  for  which  services  with 
Lessons,  and  Collect,  Epistle  and  Gospel,  are  pro- 
vided. That  in  the  English  Book  contains  a  large 
number  of  other  names,  and  formerly  had  some  as- 
tronomical and  legal  notes,  such  as,  'Sol  in  Gemini*, 
'Dog  Days',  'Term  ends'.  Some  of  the  days  still 
marked  are  more  or  less  familiar  to  us,  as  St.  Valen- 
tine on  February  14,  St.  David  (the  Welshman)  on 
March  i,  St.  George  on  April  23  (Shakespeare's 
birthday),  St.  Swithun  on  July  15,  St.  Etheldreda 
on  October  17;  some  are  the  days  of  great  doctors 
5 


50  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

of  the  Church  Universal,  as  St.  Gregory  the  Great, 
St.  Jerome,  St.  Augustine;  some  commemorate  men 
whom  we  should  call  distinctively  British  saints,  as 
St.  Alban,  St.  Boniface,  St.  Edward  the  Confessor; 
some  are  days  for  one  reason  or  another  especially 
held  in  honor  or  serving  to  fix  dates,  as  Lammas  on 
August  I,  Holy-Cross  Day  on  September  14,  O 
Sapientia  (the  first  pre-Christmas  antiphon)  on 
December  16;  one,  'Evurtius,  Bp.',  on  September  7 
(the  name  being  a  misprint  for  'Enurchus'),  inserted 
in  1604,  was  evidently  intended  to  make  Queen 
Elizabeth's  birthday  a  holiday;  while  for  some  in- 
sertions and  some  exclusions  or  omissions,  as  of  St. 
Patrick's  Day,  no  reason  can  now  be  assigned.  Im- 
perfect as  this  part  of  the  English  Calendar  is,  it  cer- 
tainly serves  to  keep  in  mind  some  thought  of  the 
continuity  of  the  Church  and  the  Communion  of 
Saints.  These  days  thus  noted  are  called  'Black- 
letter  Days',  as  having  their  names  printed  in  black 
when  the  days  of  observance  (for  which  special  ser- 
vies  are  provided)  are  printed  in  red  as  the  rubrics 
are;  when  black  ink  is  used  for  all,  a  difference  in 
type  marks  the  two  classes.  The  names  of  festivals 
in  our  Calendar  are  the  same  as  the  red-letter  days  of 
the  English  Calendar,  with  the  addition  of  the  Trans- 
figuration on  August  6,  which  we  inserted  and 
provided  with  a  service  at  our  revision  of  1892. 

The  numbers  in  the  prefixed  column  in  the  Calen- 
dar for  March  and  April  are  the  Golden  Numbers, 
and  mark  the  days  of  the  full  moon  within  the  period 


PRELIMINAR  V  PA  GES  OF  PRA  YER  BOOK      51 

by  which  Easter  is  determined;  in  a  complete  as- 
tronomical calendar  of  this  kind  they  would  be  in- 
serted throughout  the  year.  They  extend  from  i  to 
19,  because  after  nineteen  years  the  full  moons 
fall  on  the  same  day  of  the  month ;  *  the  numbers  will 
be  found  set  against  the  years  in  order  in  the  table 
on  page  xxvi  of  the  Prayer  Book.  Now  the  Golden 
Number  of  the  year  igoo  is  i,  and  the  full  moon  with- 
in the  Paschal  period  of  that  year  fell  on  April  14; 
the  number  i  therefore  is  set  in  the  Calendar  against 
April  14,  and  on  that  day  there  will  be  a  full  moon  in 
all  years  removed  from  1900  by  any  multiple  of 
nineteen  years,  as  1919,  1938,  1957,  1976,  1995,  etc. 
The  full  moons  of  any  year  are  eleven  days  behind 
those  of  the  preceding  year;  therefore  1901,  which  has 
2  for  its  Golden  Number,  had  a  full  moon  on  April  3, 
and  therefore  2  stands  against  April  3  in  the  Calen- 
dar; it  shows  that  the  full  moon  of  1920,  1939,  etc., 
will  be  on  that  day.  Again  1902,  the  Golden  Num- 
ber of  which  was  3,  had  a  full  moon  eleven  days 
further  back,  on  March  23;  the  number  3  stands  then 
against  that  day,  and  gives  the  full  moon  for  192 1, 
1940,  etc.  To  go  back  eleven  days  more  for  1903, 
to  March  12,  would  carry  us  out  of  the  Paschal 
period ;  we  therefore  pass  into  the  next  lunar  month 
and  find  a  full  moon  thirty  days  later,  or  on  April  11, 


*  There  is  a  slight  error  in  this  statement,  if  a  long  period  of 
time  is  involved ;  but  the  error  will  not  amount  to  more  than 
one  day  in  the  three  centuries  1900-2 199. 


52  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

and  set  against  that  day  the  number  4.  Thus  we 
proceed  till  the  number  19  stands  against  March  27, 
and  gives  us  the  full  moon  for  the  years  191 8,  1937, 
1956,  etc.  Now  knowing  the  Golden  Number  of  a 
year,  which  is  a  very  easy  thing  to  remember  in  this 
century,  if  we  also  know  the  Sunday  Letter  we  can 
readily  discover  the  date  of  Easter;  for  Easter-day  is 
the  Sunday  next  after  the  full  moon  which  falls  upon 
or  next  after  the  twenty-first  day  of  March,  which 
is  the  vernal  equinox.  The  date,  therefore,  against 
the  Sunday  Letter  next  after  the  Golden  Number  of 
a  year  is  Easter  for  that  year.' 

The  rule  for  the  date  of  Easter  and  the  rule  for 
determining  it  by  the  use  of  Golden  Number  and 
Sunday  Letter    are  carefully  stated   on   pages  xxiv 


'  If  the  reader  happens  to  have  before  him  a  Prayer  Book 
printed  before  1900,  he  will  find  all  the  Golden  Numbers  but 
two  removed  by  one  day  from  those  given  above  and  in  more 
recent  Prayer  Books.  The  reason  is  that  the  error  in  the  cycle 
of  nineteen  years,  partly  relieved  by  the  extra  day  in  leap-year, 
had  accumulated  so  that  this  change  was  necessary  in  the  year 
1900 ;  it  had  been  provided  for,  as  later  changes  are  provided 
for,  by  a  rule,  the  full  explanation  for  which  must  be  sought  in 
such  essays  as  Professor  DeMorgan's  in  The  Interleaved 
Prayer  Book,  or  articles  in  the  (Roman)  Catholic  Encyclo- 
paedia. The  average  period  from  full  moon  to  full  moon,  or 
new  moon  to  new  moon,  is  a  little  less  than  29^  days :  lunar 
calendar  months  are  therefore  considered  as  having  alternately 
twenty-nine  and  thirty  days,  and  a  lunar  year  of  twelve  months 
is  assigned  has  354  days,  eleven  less  than  an  ordinary  solar  year, 
as  noted  in  the  text.  For  the  rules  as  to  intercalary  months,  the 
larger  treatises  must  be  consulted. 


PR  E  LIMINA  RY  PA  GES  OF  PR  A  YER  BOOK      53 

and  XXV  of  the  Prayer  Book  under  the  heading  which 
is  next  to  be  considered. 

Tables  and  Rules 

First  stand  rules  for  determining  the  date  of  the 
Movable  Feasts  and  Holy-days,  that  is  to  say  (as 
above  noted),  those  which  change  their  place  from 
year  to  year  in  the  civil  or  Roman  calendar.  The 
rule  for  the  date  of  Easter,  already  quoted,  is  that 
which  has  prevailed  in  the  Church  from  the  time  of 
the  Council  of  Nicaea  or  Nice  in  the  year  325.  From 
the  very  first,  Christians  had  observed  the  Lord's 
Day  or  Sunday  as  "an  Easter-day  in  every  week"; 
and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  annual  com- 
memoration of  the  Resurrection  at  the  Passion-tide 
was  also  very  early  observed.  But  while  most  Chris- 
tians kept  the  annual  Easter  on  the  first  day  of  the 
week,  there  were  others  who  held  that  the  com- 
memoration should  be  on  the  fourteenth  day  of  the 
lunar  or  Jewish  month,  on  whatever  day  of  the  week 
it  fell.  Against  these  latter,  called  Quartodecimans, 
or  Fourteenth-day  men,  from  their  practice,  the 
Council  decided  that  the  Christian  Paschal  or  Easter 
should  always  be  kept  on  a  Sunday;  and  as  Alexan- 
dria was  the  centre  of  astronomical  learning,  it  was 
agreed  that  the  Bishop  of  that  city,  the  only  Bishop 
who  at  that  time  had  the  title  of  Pope,  should  by 
'Festal  Letters'  notify  the  Christian  world,  year  by 
year,  of  the  date  at  which  the  great  festival  should 
be  observed. 


54  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 

It  was  soon  found  desirable  to  arrange  the  dates 
for  a  series  of  years  according  to  a  table  or  cycle; 
and  the  cycle  of  nineteen  years,  which  we  still  use 
with  its  nineteen  Golden  Numbers,  came  into  gen- 
eral use.  Owing  to  the  fact  that  no  number  of  years 
possesses  an  exact  number  of  lunations,  and  to  the 
further  fact  that  the  motions  of  the  moon  in  the 
heavens  are  not  precisely  uniform,  these  tables  do 
not  always  place  the  full  moon  upon  the  day  on 
which  it  is  in  exact  opposition  to  the  sun;  in  other 
words,  the  full  moon  of  this  "ancient  ecclesiastical 
computation"  is  not  always  on  the  same  day  as  "the 
real  or  astronomical  full  moon".  The  divergence, 
however,  is  rarely  so  large  as  to  attract  the  attention 
of  anyone  but  an  astronomer,  and  never  as  large  in 
ratio  as  is  the  divergence  in  some  parts  of  the  year 
between  the  sun-time  as  shown  by  a  dial  and  the 
mean-time  as  kept  by  our  clocks  and  watches ;  these 
latter  give  correct  sun-time  on  only  four  days  in  each 
year,  and  are  sometimes  more  than  a  quarter  of  an 
hour  or  a  hundredth  part  of  a  day  away  from  it.  It 
is  far  more  convenient,  therefore,  to  follow  a  settled 
rule  which  can  be  readily  applied  for  years  in 
advance,  and  to  neglect  any  minor  inaccuracy  into 
which  it  may  lead. 

Moreover,  the  moon  of  the  heavens  is  the  full 
moon  at  the  moment  of  absolute  time  at  which  she  is 
exactly  opposite  the  sun  as  viewed  from  the  earth, 
or  is  removed  from  him  i8o  degrees  in  longitude, 
and  this  can  be  determined  to  a  fraction  of  a  second; 


PRELIMINARY  PA  GES  OF  PRA  YER  BOOK      55 

whereas  all  that  is  needed  for  the  ecclesiastical  full 
moon  is  that  it  be  assigned  to  a  day,  "the  fourteenth 
day  of  a  lunar  month".  Now  in  1903  the  moon  was 
in  opposition  to  the  sun,  that  is  to  say,  there  was  an 
astronomical  full  moon,  by  New  York  time,  on 
Saturday,  April  11,  at  about  half-past  seven  o'clock 
in  the  evening;  this  was  also  the  day  given  by  the 
Prayer  Book  tables  for  the  ecclesiastical  full  moon ; 
so  that  there  was  no  question  that  in  New  York  — 
and  for  that  matter,  as  can  readily  be  seen,  any- 
where on  this  continent  —  Easter  was  to  be  observed 
on  the  following  day,  Sunday,  April  12.  But 
when  it  is  half-past  seven  o'clock  in  the  evening  on 
the  75th  meridian  of  west  longitude,  a  little  west  of 
New  York,  it  is  half-past  twelve  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing of  the  next  day  on  the  meridian  of  Greenwich 
near  London ;  and  thus  in  1903,  if  Easter  had 
been  determined  by  the  moon  of  the  heavens  which 
was  not  full  in  England  till  Sunday,  April  12,  the  peo- 
ple of  that  land  would  have  been  obligedto  defer  their 
Easter  observance  to  the  next  Sunday,  April  19,  and 
the  two  great  branches  of  the  Anglican  Church  would 
have  had  variant  calendars  for  a  large  part  of  the  year. 
But  the  Golden  Number  rule  had  decided  that  the 
Paschal  or  Easter  full  moon  was  everywhere  on  April 
II,  and  therefore  Easter  itself  was  everywhere  ob- 
served on  April  12.  Such  examples  present  them- 
selves from  time  to  time,  and  show  the  advantage 
of  tables,  proving  that  the  provision  for  their  use 
is  by  no  means  arbitrary. 


56  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 

The  question  may  be  asked,  why  the  full  moon 
is  said  to  be  on  the  fourteenth  day  of  the  lunar 
month,  if  the  full  moon  is  mid-way  between  two 
new  moons  and  the  period  of  a  lunation  is  on  the 
average  about  twenty-nine  and  a  half  days.  The 
answer  is  that  new  moon  and  full  moon  for  the 
purposes  of  a  lunar  or  Jewish  month  were  both 
determined  by  observation;  that  the  new  moon 
cannot  be  seen  until  about  a  day  and  a  half  after 
it  has  passed  the  sun,  while  the  day  of  full  moon 
can  be  readily  observed ;  and  that  therefore  it  is 
a  shorter  period  from  visible  new  moon  to  visible 
full  moon  than  from  visible  full  moon  to  visible  new 
moon,  and  the  full  moon  may  be  expected  to 
occur  on  the  fourteenth  day  of  the  month  which 
begins  on  the  day  when  the  new  moon  is  first  seen 
in  the  heavens." 

Easter-day  is  shown  by  the  tables  to  control  the 
Church's  year  from  Septuagesima,  nine  weeks  before 
it,  to  Trinity-Sunday,  eight  weeks  after  it;  and 
in  fact,  by  affecting  the  numbering  of  the  Sundays 
after  Trinity,  it  controls  the  year  until  the  Sunday 


•  There  is  abundant  material  in  the  encyclopcedias  and  else- 
where for  the  study  of  the  Calendar.  Some  historians  call  the 
ancient  British  Church,  which  did  not  keep  Easter  by  the  same 
rules  as  the  Church  of  Rome,  Quartodeciman.  This  is  a  mis- 
take ;  the  British  Church  kept  Easter  on  Sunday,  but  it  used  an 
ancient  cycle,  less  accurate  than  the  new  cycle  which  had  come 
into  use  at  Rome,  and  thus  sometimes  had  a  day  for  Easter 
differing  from  that  which  was  observed  in  the  imperial  city. 


PRELIMINA  RYPA  GES  OF  PR  A  YER  BOOK      57 

next  before  Advent.  Christmas,  which  is  an  im- 
movable feast,  and  is  kept  by  the  Roman  calendar, 
controls  the  year  from  Advent-Sunday  until  the 
stopping  of  the  Sundays  after  Epiphany  by  Septua- 
gesima.  Advent-Sunday,  elsewhere  called  the  First 
Sunday  in  Advent,  is  the  fourth  Sunday  before 
Christmas;  and,  when  it  does  not  fall  on  St. 
Andrew's  Day  (November  30),  it  is  the  nearest 
Sunday  to  that  day;  its  range  is,  therefore,  from 
November  27  to  December  3,  inclusive. 

The  Table  of  Feasts  includes:  all  Sundays;  five  fes- 
tivals of  our  Lord ;  two  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  (which 
are  really  also  in  honor  of  our  Lord);  twelve  days 
which  bear  the  names  of  eleven  original  Apostles  (in 
two  cases  two  Apostles  being  commemorated  on  the 
same  day)  and  of  St.  Matthias,  St.  Paul,  and  St. 
Barnabas ;  two  in  honor  of  the  Evangelists  who  were 
not  Apostles;  the  Nativity  of  St.  John  Baptist,  St. 
Stephen's  Day,  All  Saints'  Day,  Holy  Innocents' 
Day,  and  the  Feast  of  St.  Michael  and  All  Angels, 
with  the  two  days  next  following  Easter  and  Whit- 
sunday. Of  these  the  Sundays,  Mondays,  and  Tues- 
days, amount  to  fifty-six  in  number,  or  in  years  be- 
ginning with  Sunday,  or  leap-years  beginning  with 
Saturday,  to  fifty-seven;  the  Ascension-day  comes 
always  on  Thursday ;  and  the  remaining  twenty-five 
may  come  on  any  day  of  the  week.  We  have  there- 
fore eighty-two  or  eighty-three  feast  days  appointed 
in  each  year.  As  may  be  readily  computed,  the 
number  of  appointed  days  of  abstinence  in  each  ordi- 


58  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 

nary  year  is  ninety-five  or  ninety-six.  But  in  each 
year  some  immovable  feasts  will  concur  with  Sun- 
days or  days  of  abstinence,  reducing  the  total  (on  an 
average)  to  about  169;  so  that  there  are  about  forty-six 
per  cent  of  all  the  days  in  the  year,  on  which  the 
Church  bids  us  to  special  devotion." 

Our  Church  appoints  but  two  Fasts,  the  First 
Day  of  Lent,  commonly  called  Ash- Wednesday,  and 
the  Friday  of  the  week  before  Easter,  known  to 
English-speaking  people  as  Good  Friday.  But  she 
designates  "Other  Days  of  Fasting"  under  four 
heads.  These  are:  (i)  The  Forty  Days  of  Lent, 
which,  as  is  readily  seen,  do  not  include  the  Sundays 
in  Lent;  (2)  The  Ember-days  at  the  four  seasons  of 
Spring,  Summer,  Autumn,  and  Winter;  (3)  The 
three  Rogation-days  preceding  Ascension-day,  which 
festival,  it  is  noted,  is  for  English-speaking  people 
Holy  Thursday ;  (4)  The  weekly  remembrance  of  the 
Lord's  Passion  and  Death  on  Fridays,  an  exception 
being  made  in  the  case  of  Christmas  falling  on  that 
day  of  the  week. 

Something  will  be  said  of  Lent  in  a  later  chapter.^* 
The  Ember-days,  days  of  the  ynib-rene  or  'around- 


'Dr.  Denslow  tells  me  that  in  the  thirty  years  ending  with 
1910,  there  were  103  concurrences  with  Sundays  and  113  with 
days  of  abstinence.  He  has  enabled  me  to  correct  the  former 
statement  on  this  page.  For  further  notes  on  the  Sundays  and 
Saints'  Days,  with  some  account  of  the  history  of  the  Church 
Year,  the  student  is  referred  to  the  chapter  on  the  Collects, 
Epistles,  and  Gospels. 

^°See  Chapter  VI,  on  The  Collects,  Epistles,  and  Gospels. 


PRELIMINARY  PA  GES  OF  PR  A  YER  BOOK      59 

running'  or  'circuit',  so  called  by  our  Anglo-Saxon 
ancestors  from  the  regular  order  in  which  they  come, 
must  have  been  at  the  first,  as  it  would  seem,  days 
of  prayer  with  special  reference  to  the  seasons  of 
the  year;  in  Latin  they  are  called  Quatiior  Tempora, 
'the  four  times',  'the  four  seasons'.  But  they  be- 
came days  of  fasting  in  preparation  for  the  quarterly 
ordinations  and  of  prayer  for  those  who  were  to  be 
admitted  to  Holy  Orders;  and  about  the  year  iioo 
they  were  settled  according  to  the  rule  which  still 
holds.  They  are  the  Wednesday,  Friday,  and  Satur- 
day after  the  First  Sunday  in  Lent  and  after  Whit- 
sunday (here  alone  in  the  Prayer  Book  called  Pente- 
cost), and  (to  put  the  statement  precisely)  the 
Wednesday  next  after  the  14th  day  of  September 
(Holy-Cross  Day)  and  that  next  after  the  13th  day  of 
December  (St.  Lucy's  Day),  with  the  following  Fri- 
days and  Saturdays ;  for  all  three  days  in  each  case 
must  be  in  one  week.  The  winter  Ember-days 
always  fall  in  the  week  of  the  third  Sunday  in 
Advent.  In  accordance  with  ancient  custom,  the 
stated  days  for  Ordination  are  the  Sundays  af- 
ter the  Ember-days;  that  is  to  say,  the  Second 
Sunday  in  Lent,  Trinity  Sunday,  the  Sunday  in 
the  Trinity  season  next  after  the  Wednesday  fol- 
lowing September  14,  and  the  Fourth  Sunday  in 
Advent. 

Some  account  of  the  Rogation-days,  which  in  part 
serve  as  a  preparation  for  the  Feast  of  the  Ascension, 
but  are  especially  days  of  prayer  for  a  blessing  on 


60  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 

the  fruits  and  other  produce  of  the  earth,  will  be 
found  among  the  notes  on  the  Litany." 

A  paragraph  added  to  the  Tables  of  Feasts  and 
Fasts  designates  the  First  Thursday  in  November,  or 
such  other  day  as  shall  be  appointed  by  the  civil 
authority,  to  be  observed  as  a  Thanksgiving-day. 
This  appointment,  with  a  service,  was  made  in  the 
Proposed  Book  of  1785,  and  was  the  first  provision  for 
a  thanksgiving  for  the  fruits  of  the  earth  to  be  ob- 
served throughout  the  country.  As  is  well  known, 
the  New  England  States  had  an  established  custom 
that  the  governor  should  in  the  autumn  appoint  a 
day  of  public  thanksgiving  and  prayer;  and  the 
custom  had  spread  to  the  other  States  in  the  north- 
ern part  of  the  country,  but  without  any  uniformity 
as  to  the  day.  In  these  States  the  Prayer  Book  ser- 
vice was  used  on  the  appointed  days;  and  in  the 
Southern  States,  which  had  no  Thanksgiving-day 
designated  by  their  governors,  the  first  Thursday  in 
November  was  observed  by  Churchmen.  It  was  in 
the  time  of  the  Civil  War  that  the  President  of  the 
United  States  first  appointed  an  autumnal  Thanks- 
giving-day for  national  blessings;  and  from  that  time 
on,  the  last  Thursday  in  November  has  been  annually 
appointed  by  the  President  (and  also,  in  some  of  the 
States  which  had  the  old  custom,  by  the  governors), 
and  has  been  observed  throughout  the  country." 


"See  Chapter  IV,  on  The  Litany. 

^'See  W.  DeL.  Love's  "Fast  and  Thanksgiving-days  of  New 
England." 


PRELIMINARY  PA  GES  OF  PRA  YER  BOOK     61 

The  tables  which  follow  owe  their  careful  and  lucid 
arrangement  to  the  Rev.  Dr.  Francis  Harison,  who 
prepared  them  for  the  revision  of  our  Book  in  1892. 
Those  of  practical  use  and  of  constant  service  are  on 
pages  xxvi  and  xxvii,  being  a  list  of  Easter-days 
from  1786  to  2013,  and  a  table  which  from  the 
date  of  Easter  in  any  year  gives  information  as  to 
other  movable  days  and  changeable  numbers  in 
that  year.  The  two  General  Tables  are  of  use  for 
chronologists  and  curious  investigators;  the  first 
helps  us  to  find  the  Sunday  Letter  as  far  as  the 
year  5000,  etc.,  and  the  second  determines  the  place 
of  the  Golden  Numbers  in  the  Calendar  as  far  as 
the  year  8500. 

It  may  be  worth  while  to  note  that  we  cannot  work 
backward  from  these  tables  further  than  the  date  of 
the  Change  of  Style,  as  it  is  called  —  in  countries  of 
the  Roman  obedience  1582,  in  England  1752  — with- 
out making  allowance  for  that  change,  Whitaker's 
Almanack  (English)  prints  annually  a  table  of  Easter- 
days  and  Sunday  Letters  for  the  years  1500-2000, 
which  allows  for  the  change  of  style;  it  is  well 
arranged  and  of  much  interest. 

The  reader  may  care  to  have  at  hand  a  few  facts 
as  to  dates  with  reference  to  the  Calendar.  The  earli- 
est possible  Easter  date  is  March  22,  if  a  full  moon 
falls  on  March  21  and  that  day  is  Saturday;  the 
latest  possible  Easter  date  is  April  25,  if  a  full  moon 
falls  on  March  20  and  the  next  on  April  18  and  that 
day  is  Sunday.     The  following  table  shows  the  years 


62  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

when  Easter  has  recently  fallen  or  will  soon  fall  on 
days  at  or  near  the  extremes : — 

March  22,  1818  (not  again  till  2285). 

23,  1845,  1856,  1913. 

24,  (not  since  1799),  1940. 

25,  1883,  1894,  1951. 

April  23,   1848,  1905,  1916  (not  again  till  2000). 

24,  1859  (not  again  till  2011). 

25,  (not  since  1736),  1886,  1943. 

There  was  but  one  Sunday  after  the  Epiphany  in 
1799,  1818,  1845,  1856;  this  will  be  the  case  again 
in  191 3,  and  then  not  till  2008. 

There  were  six  Sundays  after  the  Epiphany  six 
times  in  the  last  century:  1810,  1821,  1832,  1848, 
1859,  1886;  the  years  in  this  century  for  the  same 
number  are  1905,  1916,  1943,  1962,  1973,  1984,  and 
then  2000. 

The  reason  for  a  divergence  between  the  Eastern 
Church  (that  of  Greece  and  Russia)  and  our  own 
in  the  date  of  Easter  is  not  that  they  have  a  dif- 
erent  rule,  but  that  their  Calendar  is  still  of  Old 
Style  and  is  thirteen  days  behind  ours.  In  1907, 
the  full  moon  fell  on  our  March  28,  and  our 
Easter  was  the  following  Sunday,  March  31;  but 
by  their  reckoning  the  full  moon  named  fell  on 
March  15,  before  the  equinox,  and  they  waited 
for  the  next  full  moon  on  their  April  15;  this  day 
being  Sunday,  their  Easter  was  postponed  till  their 
April  22,   which   was   our   May    5 ;    and   thus   they 


PRELIMINARY  PA  GES  OF  PRA  YER  BOOK      63 

were    five   weeks    behind    us    in   the   observance   of 
the  festival. 

BIBLIOGRAPHICAL  NOTE 

The  bibliographical  references  for  this  chapter  must  be  to 
books  already  named  at  the  end  of  the  last  chapter,  and  to 
encyclopaedia  articles  on  chronological  subjects. 

The  late  Rev.  Dr.  Samuel  Seabury  (grandson  of  the  Bishop) 
wrote  a  book  on  the  Theory  and  Use  of  the  Church  Calendar ; 
and  in  Appendix  IV  to  the  Journal  of  the  General  Convention 
of  1 87 1  is  a  very  learned  and  exhaustive  paper  on  the  Paschal 
Cycle  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  F.  A.  P.  Barnard,  then  president  of 
Columbia  College. 


III. 

MORNING  AND  EVENING  PRAYER 

THE  Orders  for  Daily  Morning  and  Evening 
Prayer,  traditionally  called  'The  Divine  Office', 
stand  first  in  the  Prayer  Book,  and  rightly  precede 
the  sacramental  offices  for  which  they  are  a  prepa- 
ration. Their  origin  is  partly  from  'natural  piety', 
partly  from  the  night  vigils  of  the  early  Christians, 
and  party  from  community  or  monastic  life.  The 
preparation  for  them  in  ante-Christian  times  may 
perhaps  be  traced  to  the  daily  morning  and  evening 
sacrifices  of  the  temple,  but  more  certainly  and 
directly  to  the  synagogue  worship  of  the  Sabbath- 
eve  and  Sabbath,  and  of  two  (or  perhaps  more)  other 
days  in  the  week;  and  also  to  the  private  prayers  of 
devout  men  "in  the  evening  and  morning  and  at  noon- 
day" (Psalm  Iv,  i8),  or  sometimes  "seven  times  in  a 
day"  and  "at  midnight"  (Psalm  cxix.  164,  62).  The 
synagogue  worship,  consisting  of  Psalms  with  a  les- 
son from  the  Law,  to  which  later  a  lesson  from  the 
Prophets  was  added  (see  Acts  xiii.  15),  with  perhaps  a 
sermon  or  exhortation  based  on  what  had  been  read, 
and  mingled  thanksgivings  and  prayers  called  'Bene- 
dictions', corresponded  in  a  way  to  our  family  devo- 
tions rather  than  to  our  Church  services ;  so  that  it  is 
hardly  an  exaggeration  to  say  that  Morning  and  Even- 
ing Prayer  have  grown  out  of  family  and  private  wor- 


MORNING  AND  EVENING  PRA  YER  65 

ship.  We  read  at  the  first  of  no  general  gatherings  of 
Christians  except  to  "break  the  bread"  of  the  Eucha- 
rist, though  occasion  was  taken  at  such  gatherings  to 
hear  the  preaching  of  the  word  (see  Acts  xx.  7) ;  but 
it  would  seem  not  at  all  improbable  that  in  their 
houses  they  would  assemble  in  smaller  groups  for 
prayer  and  praise.  By  the  third  century,  as  the 
pressure  of  persecution  was  removed,  it  was  possible 
to  hold  in  common  a  service  for  the  eve  and  the 
morning  of  the  Lord's  Day  which  had  displaced  the 
Sabbath  —  perhaps  it  was  first  held  on  Easter-even 
and  Easter-day.  And  when,  a  century  or  two  later, 
many  Christians  began  to  live  in  communities,  they 
were  able  and  glad  to  have  common  prayers  often;  • 
besides  those  of  evening  and  night  and  morning,  they 
could  meet  for  them  at  intervals  in  the  busy  part  of 
the  day.  Thus  there  grew  up,  largely  under  the  in- 
fluence of  the  Benedictine  rule,  the  eight  (or  seven) 
regular — "canonical" — hours  of  prayer,  binding  on 
members  of  religious  communities  and  a  model  for 
all  Christians.  In  their  order,  they  were  thus  named : 
Vespers  at  sunset.  Compline  at  bedtime,  Nocturns 
or  Matins  at  midnight  or  early  dawn.  Lauds  at 
sunrise.  Prime  at  the  beginning  of  work.  Tierce  at  the 
third  hour  or  the  middle  of  the  morning,  Sexts  at  the 
sixth  hour  or  midday.  Nones  at  the  ninth  hour  or  the 
middle  of  the  afternoon.*    The  daily  eucharistic  office 


^The  chief  meal  of  the  day  was  at  nones  ;  the  meal  has  now 
slipped  back  to  midday,  and  carried  the  word  '  noon '  with  it. 

6 


66  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

was  regularly  held  after  Prime.  Matins  was  the 
longest  service  and  generally  passed  directly  into 
Lauds,  so  that  the  number  of  services  came  to  be 
reckoned  as  seven. 

The  origin  of  these  services  is  to  be  found  in  the 
ideas  suggested  by  the  titles  assigned  to  them.  Thus 
to  the  private  prayers,  which  seem  to  be  the  instinct  of 
personal  religion,  we  trace  Compline  and  Prime;  and 
these,  it  must  be  noted,  were  said  in  the  dormitory 
and  not  in  the  church,  being  bedside  rather  than 
chapel  services,  and  were  very  short;  Vespers  and 
Matins,  with  Lauds,  belonged  to  the  vigils  which 
treated  every  day  as  in  a  sense  a  Lord's  day;  while 
the  three  day-offices,  as  they  were  called,  belonged 
especially  to  the  community,  and  they  too  were 
short,  like  our  noonday  prayers  for  Missions. 

It  is  not  possible  here  to  trace  the  history  of  the 
Divine  Ofhce;  it  may  be  read  in  books  named  at 
the  end  of  this  chapter.  Beautiful  in  their  ideal,  the 
services  of  the  seven  hours  could  not  be  maintained 
except  in  monastic  establishments  and  in  'collegiate' 
churches  which  had  a  large  staff  of  clergymen;  and 
we  have  seen  in  our  own  times  a  similar  retro- 
gression, for  the  survival  of  public  daily  prayers  has 
been  chiefly  in  cathedrals  and  other  large  churches 
and  in  colleges.  The  whole  number  could  never 
have  been  customarily  attended  by  men  and  women 
outside  of  the  communities,  and  even  the  monks  and 
the  clergy  soon  began  to  say  the  services  one  after  an- 
other "by  accumulation" ;  combining  them  into  two 


MORNING  AND  EVENING  PRA  YER  67 

or  at  the  most  three,  and  repeating  them  in  private, 
as  is  the  custom  in  the  Roman  Church  to-day. 

In  this  way  it  came  to  pass  that  the  Psalter 
was  read  through  in  order  once  a  week ;  there  were 
also  daily  Lessons  from  Scripture  and  the  Fathers 
or  other  sources,  along  with  the  Canticles  and  the 
Creed  and  a  few  familiar  prayers.  These,  of  course, 
were  all  in  Latin;  but  at  least  as  early  as  the  year 
1400  there  were  English  'Primers'  for  those  who 
could  read  or  could  learn  from  the  reading  of  others, 
containing  a  translation  of  a  great  part  of  the  con- 
tents of  the  Latin  offices.  Still,  there  was  little 
"common  prayer"  left  from  the  more  ancient  offices; 
the  amount  of  Scripture  in  the  Lessons  had  become 
very  small;  and  the  rubrics  and  rules  for  the  services 
had  grown  so  complicated  that  "many  times  there  was 
more  business  to  find  out  what  should  be  read  than 
to  read  it  when  it  was  found  out." 

The  first  definite  plan  for  a  revision  of  the  daily 
offices  included  in  the  Breviary  came  from  a 
Spanish  Cardinal,  by  name  Quinones  (often  called 
by  the  English  Quignon),  whose  work  was  pub- 
lished in  1535.  It  was  a  simplification  of  the  ser- 
vices then  in  use,  providing  for  a  weekly  reading  or 
singing  of  the  Psalms,  the  continuous  reading  of 
both  the  Old  Testament  and  the  New,  the  simplifica- 
tion of  the  rubrics,  and  the  removal  of  much  non- 
scriptural  matter  which  was  not  to  edification;  all 
was  still  kept  in  Latin.  Eight  years  later,  in  1543, 
Henry  VIII  being  still  king,  Cranmer  began  a  re- 


68  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 

vision  in  England,  on  the  lines  of  Quignon's  work. 
He  soon  carried  it  farther  than  the  Spanish  Cardinal 
had  done;  and  in  1547,  early  in  Edward  VI's  reign, 
he  had  ready  a  scheme  for  reducing  the  daily  ser- 
vices to  two,  repeating  therein  the  Psalter  once  a 
month,  and  reading  the  Lessons  and  saying  the 
Lord's  Prayer  in  English;  the  Lessons  being  ar- 
ranged so  as  to  go  through  the  Old  Testament  once, 
and  the  New  Testament  three  times,  in  each  year. 
Out  of  this  grew  very  soon,  and  with  true  Anglican 
instinct,  the  order  for  Morning  and  Evening  Prayer 
in  the  first  English  Prayer  Book  of  1549.  Cranmer 
and  those  who  were  associated  with  him  in  the  work 
did  not  originate  these  services:  they  did  not  really 
compile  or  arrange  them ;  but  they  translated,  sim- 
plified, revised,  and  in  the  right  sense  of  the  word 
popularized  services  that  had  long  been  in  use,  and 
provided  for  large  readings  from  the  Word  of  God, 
for  which  the  people  were  an-hungered.  The  Les- 
sons of  Scripture  which  (except  for  single  verses  called 
'capitula')  had  all  been  read  at  Matins,  were  soon 
made  four  for  each  day,  and  distributed  between  morn- 
ing and  evening.  If  we  keep  in  mind  that  the  Morn- 
ing and  Evening  Prayer  of  1549  were  almost  exactly 
the  parts  of  our  services  which  begin  with  the  Lord's 
Prayer  and  end  with  the  Collect  for  Grace  and  that 
for  Aid  against  Perils,  we  can  readily  see  how  they 
were  taken  from,  and  thus  preserve,  five  of  the  older 
offices. 

Our   Morning   Prayer  is  Matins   with   Lauds  and 


MORNING  AND  EVENING  PRA  YER  69 

Prime.  From  Matins  come  the  Lord's  Prayer  with 
its  versicles,  the  standing  Invitatory  Psalm  xcv 
(Venite),  the  appointed  part  of  the  Psalter  in  order, 
a  Lesson  (now  taken  always  from  the  Old  Testament), 
and  the  Te  Deum  as  the  Church's  response  to  God's 
prophetic  Word.'  To  Lauds  belonged  Benedicite  (in 
the  new  Book  said  only  when  Te  Deum  was  omitted, 
that  is,  in  Lent);  Benedictus  (now  sung  in  response 
to  the  New  Testament  Lesson  as  a  thanksgiving  for 
the  Incarnation);  the  versicles,  and  the  Collect  for 
the  day  or  the  week  taken  from  the  eucharistic  ser- 
vice; and  the  Collect  for  Peace.  To  Prime  belonged 
the  Creed  and  the  Collect  for  Grace. 

In  like  manner,  Vespers  and  Compline  were  com- 
bined in  Evening  Prayer  or  Evensong,  the  service 
being  assimilated  to  that  of  the  morning  for  sim- 
plicity's sake.  To  Vespers  we  may  assign  the 
Psalms  and  the  Magnificat,  together  with  the  Ver- 
sicles, the  Collect  from  the  eucharistic  service,  and 
the  Collect  for  Peace;  while  to  Compline  belong 
Nunc  Dimittis,  the  Creed,  and  the  Collect  for  Aid 
against  Perils;  a  Lesson,  as  just  noted,  was  also  ap- 
pointed for  each  service.  No  provision  was  made 
for  continuing  the  day-offices  of  Tierce  and  Sexts 
and  Nones,  except  as  their  Psalms  were  read  in 
order  at  morning  and  evening;  they  were  wisely  left 
to  private  devotion. 


'  In  the  Latin  office,  Te  Deum  had  been  the  respond  to  the 
ninth  Lesson  at  Sunday  Matins. 


70  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

In  1552,  the  penitential  preface  of  Sentences,  Ex- 
hortation, Confession,  and  Absolution  was  prefixed, 
corresponding  to  private  devotions  which  had  been 
said  before  the  offices;  Te  Deum  and  Benedicite  were 
made  interchangeable;  and  Psalms  were  provided 
as  alternatives  for  Benedictus,  Magnificat,  and  Nunc 
Dimittis. 

In  1662,  the  Prayers  for  the  King,  the  Royal 
Family,  and  the  Clergy  and  People,  and  the  Prayer 
of  St.  Chrysostom,  with  'The  Grace',  were  added; 
and  in  this  form  these  services  stand  in  the  English 
Book  to-day.  Thus  it  is  very  easy  to  trace  their 
several  parts  back  to  their  originals;  and  the  reasons 
for  the  modifications  made  in  them  are  readily  seen. 

In  this  country,  when  the  Prayer  Book  was  first 
set  forth  after  the  Revolution,  in  1789-90,  three  non- 
penitential  sentences  were  prefixed  to  both  Morning 
and  Evening  Prayer;  an  alternative  form  of  abso- 
lution was  inserted  from  the  Communion  Office;  the 
Venite  was  made  to  consist  of  seven  verses  of  Psalm 
xcv  and  two  verses  from  Psalm  xcvi ;  Benedictus 
was  reduced  to  four  verses;  the  Nicene  Creed 
was  made  an  alternative  for  the  Apostles' ;  the 
number  of  versicles  after  the  Creed  was  reduced 
to  two  with  their  responses;  Magnificat  and  Nunc 
Dimittis  were  omitted,  and  alternatives  from  the 
Psalter  were  provided  for  Cantate  and  Deus  Mis- 
ereatur;  and  finally,  the  Prayer  for  all  Conditions 
of  Men  and  the  General  Thanksgiving  were  brought 
into  both  services  from    their  English  place  in  the 


MORNING  AND  EVENING  PRAYER  71 

Special  Prayers  and  Thanksgivings.  In  the  revision 
which  ended  in  1892,  a  large  number  of  special  Sen- 
tences, corresponding  to  the  ancient  Invitatories, 
were  prefixed;  the  full  Benedictus  was  restored,  as 
were  also  Magnificat  and  Nunc  Dimittis;  omitted 
versicles  (but  without  the  Lord's  Prayer)  were 
replaced  after  the  Creed  at  Evening  Prayer;  and 
permission  was  given  for  the  shortening  of  both  ser- 
vices, under  certain  carefully  stated  conditions. 
Both  in  1790  and  in  1892  there  were  rubrical  and 
other  minor  changes,  some  of  which  will  be  noted 
elsewhere. 

Our  daily  services  have,  therefore,  for  their  central 
part,  the  recital  of  the  Psalms  as  an  act  of  meditation 
on  the  varied  aspects  of  life  in  its  dependence  on 
God,  and  the  reading  of  God's  Word  for  His  honor 
and  for  man's  instruction.  This  meditation  and  in- 
struction are  introduced  by  an  act  of  repentance,  and 
lead  to  hymns  of  thanksgiving  and  the  public  pro- 
fession of  faith  in  the  great  truths  of  revelation;  and 
on  this  follow  in  turn  a  few  simple  petitions  for  the 
worshippers,  for  the  Church,  and  for  all  in  authority, 
with  a  thanksgiving  for  God's  many  mercies. 

Attention  has  been  called  to  the  rubrics  which 
regulate  the  use  of  the  offices  at  different  times.  It 
should  be  carefully  noted : 

I.  That  at  Morning  Prayer  on  Sunday,  unless  the 
Holy  Commuion  is  immediately  to  follow,  nothing 
must  be  omitted  until  after  the  Prayer  for  the  Presi- 


72  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

dent;  and  if  neither  the  Litany  nor  the  Holy  Com- 
munion is  to  follow,  none  of  the  prayers  which  stand 
after  that  for  the  President  may  be  omitted.  The 
Holy  Communion,  in  the  rubrics  quoted,  evidently 
means  the  whole  service  with  the  celebration  of  the 
Sacrament,  and  not  the  preliminary  part  "unto  the 
end  of  the  Gospel",  known  as  the  Ante-Communion. 
And  permission  to  omit  is  not  a  command  to  omit; 
it  may  sometimes  be  well  to  read  the  penitential  in- 
troduction of  the  service,  even  if  a  part  or  all  of  the 
congregation  will  be  presently  called  to  another  con- 
fession in  the  Communion  Office. 

2.  That  at  Morning  Prayer  on  week-days,  unless 
the  Holy  Communion  is  immediately  to  follow,  noth- 
ing may  be  omitted  until  the  end  of  the  Collect  for 
Grace;  but  on  any  week-day  the  short  bidding  form, 
"Let  us  humbly  confess",  may  take  the  place  of  the 
exhortation.  On  any  week-day  Morning  Prayer  may 
end  with  the  Collect  for  Grace  and  2  Cor.  xiii.  14. 

3.  That  at  Evening  Prayer  on  Sundays,  the  whole 
service  must  be  said  to  the  end  of  the  Collect  for 
Aid  against  Perils;  the  bidding  form  is  printed  as  an 
alternative  for  the  exhortation,  and  may  be  used  on 
any  day. 

4.  That  Evening  Prayer  on  week-days  may  begin 
with  the  Lord's  Prayer  after  one  or  more  of  the  sen- 
tences and  may  end  with  the  Collect  for  Aid  against 
Perils.  The  rubric  seems  to  require  at  least  one 
more  Prayer;  but  there  is  no  doubt  that  2  Cor.  xiii. 
14  is  a  'Prayer  of  Benediction'. 


MORNING  AND  EVENING  PRAYER  73 

Again  it  may  be  noted  that  'may'  is  not  'shall', 
and  that  on  many  occasions  it  is  well  either  to  begin 
Evening  Prayer  with  the  Confession,  as  when  there 
is  but  one  week-day  service,  and  that  in  the  evening, 
or  to  read  all  the  prayers  as  printed,  as  when  the 
Sunday  evening  congregation  is  practically  different 
from  that  of  the  morning. 

The  opening  sentences  are  in  three  divisions: 
general,  specific,  and  penitential.  Some  of  the  sen- 
tences assigned  to  special  days  or  seasons  may  well 
be  used  at  other  times:  thus,  'From  the  rising  of 
the  sun'  is  suitable  for  Saints'  days  or  for  missionary 
services  or  when  the  Holy  Communion  is  to  follow; 
'This  is  the  day'  and  'If  ye  then  be  risen'  are  suit- 
able for  any  Sunday;  'Seeing  that  we  have  a  great 
High  Priest'  and  'Christ  is  not  entered'  may  well 
be  read  on  Thursday;  'O  send  out  thy  light'  is 
always  appropriate.  The  careful  ministrant  will 
also  select  a  penitential  sentence  that  suits  the 
thought  of  the  day;  the  three  from  Psalm  li  are 
suitable  for  Friday;  'Enter  not  into  judgment', 
for  Advent;  'Rend  your  heart',  for  the  earlier  part 
of  Lent,  and  'To  the  Lord  our  God',  for  the  lat- 
ter part  of  that  season;  'I  will  arise'  is  not  inappro- 
priate even  on  a  festival;  the  first  and  the  last  are 
general. 

The  purpose  of  the  Exhortation  is  evident;  it  is 
based  on  the  penitential  sentence  just  read,  and  first 
calls  for  a  moment's  meditation  upon  the  purposes 


74  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 

of  assembling  in  God's  house;  and  secondly,  it  re- 
minds us  that  we  ought  not  to  enter  upon  His 
worship  without  confession  of  our  sins  and  the  as- 
surance of  His  forgiveness  and  acceptance.  The 
Confession  is  called  'General'  as  distinguished  from 
specific;  it  is  public,  not  private.  The  congrega- 
tion is  to  say  it  'after  the  Minister',  that  is  to  say, 
following  his  lead  from  clause  to  clause;  and  to  this 
end  capital  letters  are  inserted,  to  show  when  each 
rhetorical  clause  begins;  before  each  such  capital  as 
'According',  'And  grant',  'That  we  may',  there 
should  be  a  distinct  suspension  of  the  voice.  There 
ought  also,  that  the  connection  of  the  words  may  be 
plainly  felt,  to  be  a  semi-pause  before  'declared  unto 
mankind'  and  before  'live  a  godly',  and  no  such 
pause  after  the  word  'godly'.  The  old  custom,  and 
one  still  followed  in  some  places,'  was  for  the  minis- 
ter to  say  each  clause  alone  and  for  the  people  to 
repeat  it  after  him ;  this  was  changed  in  our  Church 
by  advice  of  the  House  of  Bishops  in  1835.  A  like 
use  of  capitals  is  seen  in  the  Lord's  Prayer,  the 
Creed,  the  Confession  in  the  Communion  Service, 
the  next  to  the  last  prayer  in  the  Penitential  Office, 
the  Prayer  after  the  exhortation  based  on  the  Gospel 
in  the  Baptismal  Offices,  and  two  long  answers  in 
the  Catechism. 

'Amen',  at  the  end  of  the  Confession,  is  printed 
in  roman  type;  at  the  end  of  the  Absolution  it  is  in 


'This  is  done  frequently  when  services  are  intoned. 


MORNING  AND  EVENING  PRA  YER  75 

italic  type.*  An  italic  'Amen'  is  a  response,  to 
be  said  by  the  people  after  a  prayer  or  thanksigving 
said  by  the  minister;  it  is  never  to  be  said  by  the 
minister,  not  even  at  the  end  of  'The  grace  of  our 
Lord'.  A  roman  'Amen'  is  a  part  of  the  prayer  or 
formula  which  it  closes,  and  is  to  be  said  by  the 
person  or  persons  who  have  said  that  which  precedes ; 
thus,  at  the  end  of  the  Confession  or  the  Lord's 
Prayer  or  the  Creed  both  minister  and  people  are  to 
say  it ;  at  the  end  of  the  second  part  of  the  Gloria 
Patri,  the  people  alone;  at  the  end  of  the  Baptismal 
formula,  the  minister  alone;  at  the  end  of  the 
formula  at  laying  on  of  hands  in  Confirmation  or 
Ordination,  the  Bishop  alone  is  to  say  the  'Amen'. 

The  Declaration  of  Absolution  is  to  be  said  by  the 
priest  alone.  If  a  deacon  or  a  lay-reader  is  reading 
the  service,  no  priest  being  present,  he  passes  at 
once  from  the  Confession  to  the  Lord's  Prayer. 
The  distinction  in  the  use  of  the  terms  'Minister' 
and  'Priest'  is  carefully  observed  in  our  Prayer  Book, 
with  one  or  two  possible  exceptions  which  will  be 
noted.  The  former  includes  a  deacon  or,  in  those 
services  which  a  layman  may  canonically  read  — 
Morning  and  Evening  Prayer,  the  Litany,  and  the 
Order  for   the   Burial   of   the    Dead  —  a  lay-reader. 

The  English  Book  has  in  this  place  but  the  first  of 
the  two  forms  of  absolution,   technically  known  as 


*In  the  rubric  after  the  first  Absolution  it  is  in  roman  be- 
cause the  rubric  is  in  italic,  and  thus  in  this  one  place  the  rule 
is  reversed. 


76  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

Declarative;  the  other,  called  Precatory,  was  brought 
here  in  the  American  Book  from  the  Communion 
Service,  to  which  it  properly  belongs.  It  seems  to 
have  been  thought  that,  being  less  formal  in  phrase- 
ology, it  was  less  definite  in  meaning  than  the  other; 
but  in  fact  the  Church  has  always  held  that  a  preca- 
tory absolution  is  the  most  solemn  and  authorita- 
tive. It  is  so  with  benedictions:  "God  bless  you" 
is  more  solemn  and  means  more  than  "In  God's 
Name  I  bless  you."  The  English  Book  has  a  third 
form  of  absolution,  called  Indicative,  to  be  used  at 
the  Visitation  of  the  Sick,  "if  the  sick  person  hum- 
bly and  heartily  desire  it"  ;  it  is  of  mediaeval  origin, 
and  has  been  omitted  from  our  Book,  the  ancient 
precatory  absolution  being  retained,  as  will  be  noted 
in  due  time. 

Matins,  it  will  be  remembered,  properly  begins 
with  the  Lord's  Prayer.  This  is  to  be  said  here  and 
in  the  corresponding  place  at  evening  by  minister 
and  people  together;  and  the  same  rule  is  to  hold 
"wheresoever  else"  this  prayer  "is  used  in  Divine 
Service."  The  meaning  of  this  phrase,  which 
seems  to  apply  to  every  recurrence  of  the  Lord's 
Prayer  in  the  Prayer  Book,  is  made  doubtful  by  the 
custom,  practically  universal  in  England  and  at  least 
prevalent  with  us,  that  the  minister  alone  says  this 
prayer  at  the  beginning  of  the  Communion  Office; 
near  the  close  of  that  office,  the  people  are  bidden  to 
repeat  it  with  the  minister.  The  people  are  also  in- 
structed to  say  the  Lord's  Prayer  with  the  minis- 


MORNING  AND  EVENING  PRAYER  77 

ter  in  the  Litany,  and  in  case  of  imminent  danger 
at  sea,  but  nowhere  else.  A  rubric  at  the  end  of 
the  Communion  Office  in  the  English  Book  shows 
that  'Divine  Service'  includes  that  office;  and  it 
is  the  opinion  of  the  present  writer  that  this 
rubric  bids  the  people  always  to  say  the  Lord's 
Prayer  with  the  minister.  Whether  custom  in  one 
particular  place  overrides  the  rubric  must  be  consid- 
ered when  we  come  to  the  study  of  the  special  place. 

It  is  interesting  to  trace  the  versicles  with  their 
responses  to  their  source,  which  is  usually  in  the 
Psalms.  "O  Lord,  open  thou"  is  from  Psalm  li,  and 
may  be  a  survival  of  a  private  act  of  penitence  before 
the  beginning  of  public  worship.  In  the  old  offices 
it  was  said  but  once  a  day,  at  the  beginning  of 
Matins;  and  it  was  followed  here,  as  still  in  the 
English  use,  by  words  which  began  each  of  the  other 
offices,  taken  from  Psalm  Ixx.  i:  "O  Lord,  make 
speed  to  save  us;  O  God,  make  haste  to  help  us." 
The  Gloria  Patri  (which  both  in  Latin  and  in  Eng- 
lish has  an  interesting  history)  is  said  as  from  lips 
which  the  Lord  has  opened;  and  upon  it  follows 
v^ith  a  response,  "Praise  ye  the  Lord",  a  translation  of 
the  Hebrew  'Hallelujah',  which  in  the  form  'Alle- 
luia' stands  here  in  the  Roman  service,  for  use  except 
from  Septuagesima  to  Easter,  when  a  Latin  para- 
phrase is  substituted  for  it. 

The  Venite  stands  as  the  great  Invitatory  Psalm, 
of  practically  daily  use  in  the  Christian  Church.  It 
is  called  an  'Anthem';  yet  not  in  the  older  sense  of 


78  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  VER 


'Antiphon',  of  which  the  word  is  a  corruption  (and 
as  to  this  see  in  notes  on  the  Litany),  nor  in  the 
later  sense  of  a  'set  piece'  of  music  bringing  out  the 
meaning  of  words  by  repetition,  but  apparently  as 
made  up  in  our  Book  of  parts  of  two  Psalms,  in 
accurate  phrase  a  cento.  On  Easter-day  there  are 
three  anthems  in  place  of  the  Venite,  selected  from 
passages  in  St.  Paul's  epistles;  on  Thanksgiving- 
day,  nine  verses  selected  from  Psalm  cxlvii  take  its 
place;  when  Morning  Prayer  is  read  in  prison  (see 
page  312  of  the  Prayer  Book)  Psalm  cxxx,  De  Pro- 
fundis,  is  read  instead  of  Venite;  on  the  19th  day 
of  the  month,  unless  a  Selection  is  used,  the  Morn- 
ing Prayer  form  of  the  Venite  is  omitted. 

There  is  no  rubric  as  to  the  manner  in  which  the 
Psalms  for  the  day  of  the  month,  the  Proper  Psalms 
on  certain  days,  or  the  Selections  allowed  for  use  on 
other  days,  shall  be  said  or  sung.  Custom  has  ruled 
that  when  they  are  read,  the  minister  shall  read  one 
verse  and  the  people  shall  reply  with  the  next,  and  so 
on.'  When  few  people  could  read,  it  would  appear 
that  the  minister  read  the  Psalms  as  he  did  the 
Lessons,  the  people  sitting,  sometimes  with  their 
hats  on,  but  rising  and  removing  their  hats  at  each 
Gloria;  it  was  a  complaint  of  some  puritanically  in- 
clined people,  that  they  were  obliged  to  rise  and  un- 
cover themselves  too  often  because  of  the  frequent 


^In  a  few  places  Psalms  are  read,  and  in  more  places  sung, 
by  half-verses,  in  accordance  (it  is  thought)  with  Hebrew  use. 


MORNING  AND  EVENING  PRAYER  79 

occurrence  of  the  Gloria;  and  it  was  a  part  of  the 
reply  that  it  was  "seemly  that  at  all  times  women 
should  be  covered  and  men  dis-covered"  in  the 
church.  Later  there  was  in  many  places  a  dialogue 
between  the  parson  and  the  clerk  in  reading  the 
Psalms;  apparently  it  is  not  known  when  the  present 
custom  began  to  prevail.  No  authority  has  decided 
how  the  Gloria  at  the  end  of  Canticles  and  Psalms 
should  be  read ;  on  the  whole,  it  seems  best  that  the 
minister  should  always  read  the  former  clause,  the 
people  responding  with  the  second;  but  it  is  not  un- 
liturgical  that  it  shall  be  said  'full',  that  is,  by 
minister  and  people  together. 

Our  rubric  requires  the  Gloria  Patri  only  at  the 
end  of  the  whole  portion  or  selection  of  Psalms  for 
the  day.  It  is,  however,  very  rarely  omitted  after 
the  Canticles  —  except  that  the  Te  Deum  never  has  a 
Gloria'' — and  is  usually  read  or  sung  after  each 
psalm.  The  English  Book  especially  requires  it  not 
only  at  the  end  of  each  Psalm  but  also  after  each 
portion  of  Psalm  cxix ;  our  Book  having  no  such  re- 
quirement or  permission,  and  a  proposal  to  insert  it 
having  been  rejected  in  General  Convention  at  the 
time  of  the  later  revision,  it  seems  incorrect  for  us 
to  use  the  Gloria  with  this  Psalm  except  at  the  end 
of  each  morning's  or  evening's  portion.  The  per- 
mission to  sing  Gloria  in  excelsis  at  the  end  of  the 


'Is  this  because  the  Te  Deum  is  not  taken  directly  from  the 
Bible  ? 


80  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

Psalms  in  Morning  or  Evening  Prayer  is  peculiarly 
American,  but  by  no  means  contrary  to  ancient  use, 
as  will  be  seen  in  the  notes  on  that  venerable  hymn 
where  it  occurs  in  the  Communion  Office. 

Te  Deum  Laudamus  is  confessedly  the  greatest  of 
uninspired  hymns,  if  indeed  we  ought  to  deny  the 
title  of  inspired  to  that  which  is  largely  composed  of 
the  words  of  Scripture  and  has  been  for  ages  used 
in  the  lofty  praises  of  the  Church.  The  legend  that 
it  was  composed  by  St.  Ambrose  and  St.  Augustine 
on  the  occasion  of  the  baptism  of  the  latter,  a.d. 
387,  is  without  historical  foundation.  A  recent 
editor  of  the  works  of  Niceta,  Bishop  of  Remesiana 
in  the  region  now  known  as  Servia  about  the  year 
400,  Dr.  A.  E.  Burn,  is  confident  that  he  has  traced 
the  authorship,  or  at  least  the  compilation,  of  the 
hymn,  to  this  little-known  man.  At  any  rate,  it  can 
be  with  great  confidence  traced  back  very  nearly  to 
his  time.  Its  structure  should  be  studied,  if  pos- 
sible, in  the  original  Latin.  It  consists  of  three 
strophes,  the  first  and  the  second  each  containing 
four  verses  and  leading  to  a  doxology,  while  the 
third,  after  four  (or  perhaps  five)  verses,  leads  to  a 
petition  for  a  share  in  the  glory  of  the  saints.  After 
these  strophes  follow  verses  or  'little  chapters'  of 
Scripture  and  versicles  which  are  common  to  the 
conclusion  of  this  hymn  and  others.  The  words  are 
in  a  rhythm,  not  metrical  in  the  classical  sense,  but 
following  the  general  form  of  the  ancient  Saturnian 
verse  which  reappeared  in  late  Latin  and  gave  rise 


MORNING  AND  EVENING  PRA  YER  81 

to  our  ballad  or  common  metre.  Each  of  the  four 
verses  of  the  strophes  begins  with  a  form  of  the  pro- 
noun of  the  second  person,  Tu,  Te,  or  Tibi ;  thus: — 

1.  Te  Deum  laudamus  :  te  Dominum  confitemur. 

2.  Te  aeternum  Patrem  :  omnis  terra  veneratur. 

3.  Tibi  omnes  angeli  :  tibi  caeli  et  universae  potestates  ; 

4.  Tibi  cherubim  et  seraphim ''  :   incessabili  voce  procla- 

mant : 

Upon  this  follows  the  doxology,  taken  from  Isaiah, 
"the  hymn  of  praise  ever  ascending  to  God  the 
Father  from  all  that  He  has  made" : — 

5.  Sanctus,  sanctus,  sanctus  :  Dominus  Deus  Sabaoth  ; 

6.  Pleni  sunt  csli  et  terra  :  majestatis  gloriae  tuas. 

The  second  division  is  the  hymn  of  praise  of  the 
Universal  Church  inspired  by  apostles,  prophets,  and 
martyrs,  and  framed  in  a  doxology  to  the  Holy 
Trinity,  thus: — 

7.  Te  gloriosus  :  apostolorum  chorus  ; 

8.  Te  prophetarum  :  laudabiHs  numerus  ; 

9.  Te  martyrum  candidatus  :  laudat  exercitus. 

10.  Te  per  orbem  terrarum  :  sancta  confitetur  ecclesia  : 

11.  Patrem  immensas  majestatis  ; 

12.  Venerandum  tuum  verum  unigenitum  Filium  ; 

13.  Sanctum  quoque  Parachtum  Spiritum. 

It  is  to  be  noted  that  apostles,  prophets  (that  is, 
those   of   the   Christian  Church),  and  martyrs,   are 


'These  words  are  the  Hebrew  forms  of  the  plural  of 
'  cherub'  and  '  seraph'.  The  English  Book  has  '  cherubin '  and 
'  seraphin',  which  are  the  Aramaic  form  adopted  by  Greek 
translators. 


82  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

placed  in  the  order  of  their  number,  and  to  this  cor- 
respond the  words  'chorus',  'numerus',  and  'exer- 
citus'.  Now  'numerus'  was  a  word  often  used  of  a 
'band'  of  soldiers,  and  the  'candidati'  were  the 
picked  troops  of  a  body-guard,  and  it  may  be  thought 
that  'chorus'  has  the  sense  of  'cohors' ;  so  that  the 
three  phrases  prepare  for  the  thought  of  the  Church 
militant,  which  ever  confesses  the  Triune  God.' 

In  the  third  division  of  the  hymn,  the  assembled 
Church  sings  its  creed  of  faith  in  the  Divinity,  the 
Incarnation,  the  Death  and  Resurrection,  the  Ascen- 
sion and  Return,  of  her  Lord,  and  bases  on  it  an 
earnest  prayer  for  present  help  and  for  a  share  in  the 
glory  of  His  saints. 

14.  Tu  rex  gloriae,  Christe  ; 

15.  Tu  Patris  sempiternus  es  Filius. 

16.  Tu  ad  liberandum  suscepturus  hominem  : 

non  horruisti  virginis  uterum. 

17.  Tu  devicto  mortis  aculeo  : 

aperuisti  credentibus  regna  caelorum. 

18.  Tu  ad  dexteram  Dei  sedens  in  gloria  Patris  : 

19.  Judex  crederis  esse  venturus. 

20.  Te  ergo  quaesumus  tuis  famulis  subveni : 

quos  pretioso  sanguine  redemisti. 

21.  Sterna  fac  cum  Sanctis  tuis  gloria  munerari. 

'Sedens',  in  verse  18,  seems  a  better  reading  than 
'sedes',   and  'numerari'  (to   be   numbered)  is   quite 


*0n  this  supposition,  the  translation  'noble'  is  well  justified, 
but  it  is  hard  to  illustrate  'goodly',  and  the  explanation  is 
therefore  only  suggested  as  possible. 


MORNING  AND  EVENING  PRA  YER  83 

certainly  an  ancient  miswriting  or  misprint  for 
'munerari'  (to  be  rewarded). 

Here  the  hymn  proper  ends.  But  there  have  been 
added  to  it  the  old  'capitellum'  for  the  Te  Deum, 
Psalm  xviii.  lo  (verses  22,  23),  and  the  correspond- 
ing words  for  the  Gloria  in  excelsis,  Psalm  cxlv.  2 
(verses  24,  25).  The  remaining  verses  are  Antiphons 
of  not  infrequent  use,  "Vouchsafe,  O  Lord",  and  "O 
Lord,  have  mercy",  being  found  very  early  at  the  end 
of  the  Gloria  in  excelsis  as  a  morning  hymn,  and  "O 
Lord,  in  thee"  (Psalm  Ixxi.  i)  having  been  the  open- 
ing clause  of  a  prayer  after  the  Gloria.  In  two  of 
the  recent  musical  settings  of  the  Te  Deum  for  a  fes- 
tival occasion  the  somewhat  sombre  ending  has  been 
relieved  by  the  repetition  of  the  opening  strain  "We 
praise  thee,  O  God",  at  the  end. 

The  translation  of  this  great  hymn  deserves  care- 
ful study,  for  which  help  will  be  found  in  Bishop 
Dowden's  "Studies  in  the  Prayer  Book."  We  may 
note  here  the  three  changes  made  in  the  American 
Book  from  the  English:  'adorable'  for  'honourable',  in 
verse  12;  "Thou  didst  humble  thyself  to  be  born  of 
a  Virgin",  in  verse  16  (a  fine  example  of  Bishop 
White's  rhythmical  power,  but  should  it  not  be  the 
Virgin,?);  and  'be'  for  'lighten'  in  the  next  to  the 
last  verse,  which  has  the  advantage  of  being  literal 
and  unemphatic  (the  Latin  is  'fiat'). 

The  alternative  for  the  Te  Deum  is  Benedicite 
omnia  opera,  taken  from  the  Song  of  the  Three  Holy 
Children — Shadrach,    Meshach,    and    Abednego,   or 


84  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 

(to  use  the  Greek  forms  of  their  Hebrew  names) 
Ananias,  Azarias,  and  Misael  —  as  it  is  given  in  the 
additions  to  the  Book  of  Daniel  in  the  Apocrypha. 
It  may  be  called  an  expanded  paraphrase  of  Psalm 
cxlviii.  To  gain  a  full  understanding  of  this  hymn 
it  should  be  recited  or  sung,  after  the  first  two  intro- 
ductory verses,  in  triplets,  bringing  together  the 
Heavens,  the  Waters  above,  the  Powers  of  the  Lord; 
Sun  and  Moon,  Stars,  Showers  and  Dew;  Winds, 
Fire  and  Heat,  Summer  and  Winter;  Dews  and 
Frosts,  Frost  and  Cold,  Ice  and  Snow ;  etc.  The 
omission  of  "O  Ananias,  Azarias,  and  Misael"  in 
the  American  Book  has  reduced  the  last  section  to  a 
couplet.  The  hymn  ends  with  Gloria  Patri,  which 
anciently  had  here  a  special  form.  Since  1552,  there 
has  been  no  rubric  directing  the  use  of  Benedicite  at 
any  time;  but  there  is  a  prevalent  custom  to  follow 
the  rule  of  1549  and  use  it  in  Lent.  It  may  be  con- 
sidered whether  it  may  not  well  be  used,  as  Dean 
Burgon  suggested,  when  the  first  Lesson  is  the 
opening  chapter  of  Genesis  or  some  other  passage 
telling  of  God's  works  in  nature,  or  after  some 
remarkable  phenomenon  in  the  natural  world,  such  as 
an  eclipse  or  a  storm,  or  at  Rogation-tide,  or  in  har- 
vest; it  is  appropriate  for  Thanksgiving-day. 

Benedictus  at  Morning  Prayer  and  Magnificat  and 
Nunc  Dimittis  at  Evening  Prayer,  the  songs  of 
Zacharias  and  the  Virgin  Mary  and  Simeon,  being  the 
'evangelical  canticles'  and  a  commemoration  of  the 
Incarnation,  are  normally  used  each  day;  and  in  the 


MORNING  AND  EVENING  PRAYER  85 

judgment  of  some  ritualists,  they  should  never  be 
displaced  by  their  alternatives  unless  these  occur  in 
the  second  Lesson  or  in  the  Gospel  of  the  service.  The 
Church,  however,  has  made  no  such  rule;  and  Jubi- 
late is  sometimes  specially  appropriate,  as  in  the 
Epiphany  season  or  after  Lessons  from  the  Acts  of 
the  Apostles  which  tell  of  the  extension  of  the 
Church  among  the  Gentiles.  So  also,  Cantate  may 
well  be  sung  after  many  of  the  Lessons  from  the 
historical  books  of  the  Old  Testament,  and  Deus 
Misereatur,  which  is  by  no  means  a  penitential  Psalm 
(in  the  English  Book  it  has  a  place  in  the  marriage 
service),  follows  well  upon  some  passages  in  both  the 
Gospel  and  the  Epistles.  A  connection  with  an- 
cient use  is  observed  if  either  of  the  Gospel  canticles 
is  used  at  Evensong. 

The  recital  of  the  Creed  follows  naturally  after 
listening  to  God's  Word  and  thanking  Him  for  its 
teaching  and  before  entering  upon  solemn  acts  of 
prayer.  For  the  history  of  the  Apostles'  Creed 
(which  is  the  baptismal  symbol  of  the  Western 
Church),  and  that  called  the  Nicene  (which  is  the  eu- 
charistic  symbol  and,  except  for  the  words  "and  the 
Son"  following  "who  proceedeth  from  the  Father", 
the  formal  confession  of  the  faith  of  the  Church 
Catholic),  reference  must  be  made  to  books  specially 
treating  of  the  subject.  Creeds  were  not  of  old  said 
in  public  worship.  In  the  Liturgy  or  Communion 
Office  the  Nicene  Creed  was  first  introduced  about 
the  year  500,  and  to  this  day  the  Roman  Church  does 


86  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 

not  say  the  Creed  at  every  mass;  in  the  daily  offices 
the  Apostles'  Creed  must  have  been  first  used  at  a 
somewhat  later  date.  Permission  to  say  the  Nicene 
Creed  in  the  daily  offices  is  peculiar  to  the  American 
Book;  it  originated  apparently  from  the  desire  to  say 
the  Nicene  Creed  before  the  celebration  of  the 
Communion  and  at  the  same  time  to  avoid  the 
duplication  of  Creeds  in  the  one  continuous  service, 
which  was  the  custom;  this  being  done  in  Morning 
Prayer,  Evening  Prayer  was  conformed  to  it.  The 
rubric  before  "the  Creed  called  the  Nicene"  in  the 
Communion  service,  which  requires  that  that  Creed 
shall  be  said  on  the  five  chief  festivals  of  the  year, 
would  seem  to  direct,  or  at  least  suggest,  that  if  for 
any  reason  there  is  no  celebration  of  the  Holy  Com- 
munion on  those  days  (for  instance,  when  a  layman 
is  reading  the  service),  the  Nicene  Creed  should  be 
said  in  the  assigned  place  at  Morning  Prayer.  The 
beginner  in  theology  should  be  asked  to  note  in  re- 
gard to  the  phraseology  of  this  Creed:  (i)  That  the 
preposition  in  the  phrases  "God  of  God",  etc.,  means 
'deriving  from'  or  'proceeding  from',  and  should  have 
strong  emphasis;  (2)  That  'very'  is  an  adjective  and 
means  'real'  or  'true';  (3)  That  the  relative  pronoun 
in  "By  whom  all  things  were  made"  refers  to  the  Son, 
'by'  having  the  old  sense  of  'through';  (4)  That,  as 
the  punctuation  shows,  'The  Lord'  and  'Giver  of  life' 
are  two  distinct  titles  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

In  both  of  the  Creeds  the  traditional  division  into 
twelve  articles  is  marked  b}'  placing  either  a  colon  or 


MORNING  AND  EVENING  PR  A  YER  87 

(in  two  cases)  a  full  stop  at  the  end  of  each  article. 
In  the  Apostles'  Creed,  the  word  'again'  in  "he 
rose  again  from  the  dead"  (omitted  in  our  Book  until 
the  last  revision),  sometime  needs  explanation,  and 
some  readers  need  to  be  cautioned  against  emphasiz- 
ing it.  It  does  not  mean  'a  second  time',  but  like 
the  prefix  in  the  Latin  resiirrexit  or  the  Greek 
aveajr],  it  denotes  a  return  ;  in  Biblical  English  it  is 
used  for  the  modern  adverb  'back' ;  and  in  common 
talk  it  still  has  a  like  sense:  "I  and  the  lad  will  go 
yonder,  and  come  again"  ;  "The  man  fell,  but  picked 
himself  up  again." 

In  the  'Proposed  Book'  of  1786,  the  Nicene  Creed, 
as  well  as  the  so-called  Athanasian  (see  page  96), 
was  omitted  entirely,  and  the  clause  "He  descended 
into  hell"  was  dropped  from  the  Apostles'  Creed. 
The  English  Bishops  objecting,  not  unreasonably, 
to  this  action,  in  1786  the  Convention  (not  yet 
'General')  voted  to  allow  the  use  of  the  Nicene  Creed 
and  to  restore  the  Apostles'  to  its  full  form.  In  the 
General  Convention  of  1789,  which  set  forth  the 
Prayer  Book  in  the  form  in  which  it  went  into  use 
the  following  year,  this  clause  was  added  to  the 
rubric  before  the  Apostles'  Creed:  "And  any 
Churches  may  omit  the  words,  'He  descended  into 
heir,  or  may,  instead  of  them,  use  the  words  'He 
went  into  the  place  of  departed  spirits',  which  are 
considered  as  words  of  the  same  meaning  in  the 
Creed."  At  the  last  revision  the  permission  to  omit 
was  withdrawn,  and  the  rubric  took  its  present  form. 


88  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

The  reason  for  the  rubric  was,  and  to  some  extent  is, 
the  misunderstanding  by  many  persons  of  the  word 
'heir  in  the  sense  which  it  has  in  the  English  Bible, 
always  in  the  Old  Testament  and  frequently  in  the 
New,  as  also  in  the  Creed;  and  those  who  framed  it 
felt  that  the  difficulty  was  so  real  that  it  called  for  a 
distinct  explanation,  and  might  become  so  serious 
in  some  places  that  explanatory  words  should  be  sub- 
stituted for  those  which  were  not  understood,  or 
even  that  a  clause  introduced  into  the  Creed  at  a 
comparatively  late  date,  and  really  adding  nothing  to 
the  faith,  should  be  by  competent  authority  omitted. 
That  competent  authority  was  recognized  as  in  'any 
Churches' ;  and  'any  Churches'  in  the  ecclesiastical 
phraseology  of  the  day  meant  'any  dioceses' ;  for  the 
doctrine  of  diocesan  rights  was  in  most  quarters 
firmly  held  at  the  first.  The  right,  then,  was  re- 
served to  any  diocese  to  make  the  omission  or  the 
substitution  mentioned  in  the  rubric,  and  the  right 
of  making  the  substitution  still  remains.  That  right 
has  never  been  exercised,  and  quite  certainly  never 
will  be  exercised;  but  it  has  been,  and  doubtless  still 
is,  a  great  advantage  to  the  Church  to  be  able  to  ex- 
plain in  clear  words  and  in  a  conspicuous  place  the 
meaning  of  a  phrase  which,  by  reason  of  a  change  in 
the  use  of  a  word,  has  been  a  stumbling-block  to 
some. 

The  Creeds  are  said  by  minister  and  people  to- 
gether, that  each  may  profess  the  common  faith ;  in 
the  Eastern  Church  the  pronoun  was  in  the  plural,  but 


MORNING  AND  EVENING  PRAYER  89 

now  all  say  *I  believe'.  And  in  the  Creed  all  stand, 
partly  no  doubt  from  reverence,  and  partly  as  being 
Christ's  soldiers  on  duty,  professing  each  day  their 
allegiance  to  Him  and  to  the  truth  which  He 
taught.  The  custom  that  those  worshippers  who  are 
so  placed  in  church  that  they  do  not  ordinarily  face 
the  east,  should  at  the  Creed  set  their  faces  with  the 
rest  of  the  congregation  towards  the  sun-rising,  is 
thought  to  be  ancient;'  that  of  turning  at  each 
Gloria,  it  may  be  noted,  has  not  the  same  antiquity. 
The  custom  of  doing  reverence  at  the  name  of  Jesus 
by  bowing  the  head,  though  nearly  universal,  is  not 
known  to  have  been  followed  in  England  before  the 
thirteenth  century. 

After  the  mutual  salutation  of  minister  and  people, 
in  words  the  full  meaning  of  which  has  been  dulled 
for  most  of  us  by  thoughtless  repetition,  we  pass  to 
prayer.  Our  Book  has  omitted  the  Lord's  Prayer 
with  the  three-clause  litany  preceding  it,  which 
stands  here  in  the  English  Book;  and  having  at  first 
reduced  the  number  of  'suffrages'  or  versicles  with 
their  responses  in  both  services  to  two,  still  keeps 
the  two  most  spiritual  petitions  in  Morning  Prayer, 
but  has  restored  the  others  (in  part  modified)  in 
Evening  Prayer.  These  suffrages  are  said  by  way  of 
anticipation  or  preparation  for  the  collects  or  prayers 
that  follow  them.  The  Litany,  as  will  .be  soon 
noted,  gives  us  two  examples  of  the  ancient  way  of 


'But  cf.  Frere's  Procter  on  this  custom,  page  391. 


90  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 

saying  a  prayer:  first,  its  general  intent  was  ex- 
pressed in  a  versicle  and  response,  and  then  the 
minister  said  'Let  us  pray'  and  recited  the  full 
prayer,  the  people  responding  with  'Amen'.  The 
collection  of  suffrages  in  our  Evening  Prayer  is  like 
that  with  which  the  people  were  familiar  of  old  at 
'bidding  the  bedes' ;  and  in  this  phrase  it  must  be 
remembered  that  'bede'  or  'bead'  meant  originally  a 
petition;  'to  bid  bedes'  is  to  offer  petitions;  'to  tell 
bedes'  is  to  count  prayers.  We  may  assign  the  last 
petition,  "O  God,  make  clean",  to  the  Collect  for  the 
day;  and  the  first,  "O  Lord,  show  thy  mercy",  to  the 
Collect  for  Grace  or  for  Aid  against  Perils;  "Give 
peace  in  our  time"  will  then  be  a  preparation  for  the 
Collect  for  Peace;  and  the  second  and  third  and  fourth 
will  be  seen  to  belong  with  the  prayer  for  the  Civil 
Authority,  that  for  the  Clergy  and  People,  and  (per- 
haps) that  for  All  Conditions  of  Men,  respectively. 

At  Morning  Prayer,  the  application  must  be  more 
general,  and  the  two  suffrages  may  well  be  referred 
to  the  work  of  the  Son  of  God  in  redemption  and 
that  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  sanctification. 

The  use  of  the  Collect  for  the  day  in  the  daily  ser- 
vices is  as  a  memorial  of  the  eucharistic  service  of 
the  preceding  Sunday  or  of  the  morning;  it  links  the 
petitions  which  are  to  follow  with  the  great  act  of 
worship  and  prayer  of  the  week  or  of  the  special 
time."     If,  as  provided  in  the  second  rubric  after  the 


'See  Chapter  VI,  beginning. 


MORNING  AND  EVENING  PRA  YER  91 

general  heading  of  Collects,  Epistles,  and  Gosi^elf-, 
the  Collect  appointed  for  any  Sunday  or  other  Feast 
is  used  at  the  evening  service  of  the  day  before  —  an 
old  and  edifying  custom  —  the  Collect  serves  to 
introduce  the  thought  of  the  morrow  and  to  prepare 
for  its  observance.  If,  as  in  Advent  or  Lent,  the 
Collect  for  the  season  is  said  with  another  Collect  in 
the  Communion  Office,  both  should  be  said  in  the 
daily  services;  or  if  when  a  Sunday  and  a  Holy-day 
concur,  both  of  their  Collects  are  said  in  the  one 
service,  both  should  be  said  in  the  other  also. 
Our  Book,  wisely  and  with  true  instinct,  bids  us 
omit  the  variable  Collect  at  Morning  Prayer  if  it  is 
presently  to  be  said  at  the  Holy  Communion.  This 
variable  Collect  was  said  of  old  at  Lauds,  and  to 
Lauds  belonged  also  the  Collect  for  Peace;  the 
Collect  which  follows  was  taken,  with  the  Creed, 
from  the  office  of  Prime.  The  careful  student 
will  note  the  beauty  of  the  ancient  second  and  third 
Collects,  and  that  the  two  Collects  for  Peace  differ  as 
praying  for  peace  in  the  active  service  of  God  and 
for  the  peace  of  rest  in  Him ;  and  if  he  has  the  Latin 
before  him,  he  will  learn  from  ^' quern  nosse  vivere, 
cui  servire  regnare  est''  the  meaning  of  an  obscure 
phrase  in  the  prayer  at  morning,  which  confesses 
that  the  true  life  of  man  consists  in  the  knowledge 
of  God. 

In  the  English  Book,  the  Litany  is  ordered  to  be 
said  after  the  Collect  for  Grace,  and  it  contains  ex- 
tended petitions  for  the  Sovereign  and  for  others  in 


92  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 

Civil  Authority.  In  our  Book  the  Litany  has  but 
one  general  petition  for  all  Christian  Rulers  and 
Magistrates,  and  the  place  assigned  it  in  the  morn- 
ing service  is  after  the  Prayer  for  the  President. 
The  reason  for  the  change  of  place  is  said  to  have 
been  that  President  Washington,  whose  home  was  at 
some  distance  from  Pohick  Church  and  from  Christ 
Church,  Alexandria,  while  always  at  service  in  the 
morning,  did  not  often  attend  in  the  afternoon ;  and 
it  was  thought  seemly  to  provide  that  this  prayer 
should  be  read  when  he  was  present.  There  is  no 
provision  in  our  Book  for  an  'Anthem'  during  the 
prayers  in  the  morning;  but  the  use  of  a  hymn 
before  the  Litany  is  allowed  by  the  general  rubric 
before  the  Tables  of  Lessons.  In  our  Evening 
Prayer  we  have  the  rubric,  which  admits  of  a 
diversity  of  interpretations,  "In  places  where  it  may 
be  convenient,  here  followeth  the  Anthem";  the 
English  Book  reads  after  the  third  Collect,  both 
morning  and  evening,  "In  Quires  and  Places  where 
they  sing,  here  followeth  the  Anthem."  Both  seem 
to  authorize  a  somewhat  elaborate  musical  'perform- 
ance' in  this  place;  custom  certainly  interprets  a 
hymn  as  permissible;  but  both  Books  seem  to  expect 
some  restraint  in  the  use  of  the  permission  given. 

The  Prayer  for  the  President  and  all  in  Civil  Au- 
thority is  taken  from  the  English  Prayer  for  the 
Sovereign,  inserted  at  the  end  of  the  Litany  in  1559; 
that  for  the  Clergy  and  People  first  appears  in  the 
Litany  of  1544,  and  then  in  the  Litany  of  1559;  both 


MORNING  AND  EVENING  PRA  YER  93 

were  put  into  their  present  place,  as  has  been  already 
noted,  in  1662.  The  Prayer  for  all  Conditions  of 
Men  was  probably  composed  by  Peter  Gunning, 
Bishop  of  Chichester  and  of  Ely,  who  died  in  1684; 
it  is  thought  to  be  in  its  present  form  an  abridgment 
of  a  long  prayer  intended  to  take  the  place  of  the 
Litany;  but  this  may  be  no  more  than  an  inference 
from  the  use  of  the  word  'finally'.  The  General 
Thanksgiving  was  written  by  Edward  Reynolds, 
Bishop  of  Norwich,  who  died  in  1676;  he  should 
not  be  confused,  as  is  constantly  done,  with  John 
Rainolds,  or  Reynolds,  the  learned  puritanical  divine, 
president  of  Corpus  Christi  College,  Oxford,  who 
was  prominent  among  the  translators  of  the  Author- 
ized Version.  The  word  'General',  in  the  title  of 
the  Thanksgiving,  is  opposed  to  'special'  or  'specific' ; 
it  does  not  imply  that  it  is  to  be  said  audibly  by  the 
whole  congregation  —  a  practice  for  which  there  is 
no  authority.  The  Prayer  of  St.  Chrysostom  was 
translated  for  the  Litany  of  1544,  and  was  first 
printed  in  Morning  and  Evening  Prayer  in  1662; 
its  history  will  be  given  in  the  chapter  on  the 
Litany. 

In  the  daily  service  —  the  Divine  Office  —  we  are 
using  a  precious  part  of  our  inheritance  in  the  wor- 
ship of  the  early  Church,  and  are  continuing  steadfast 
in  the  prayers  of  Apostles  and  apostolic  men.  In 
Morning  and  Evening  Prayer  we  have  universal  ele- 
ments, contributed  by  natural  piety  and  by  churchly 
custom,  tested  by  the  experience  of  the  ages,  cast 


94  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

more  than  three  centuries  and  a  half  ago  into  a  form 
adapted  to  the  genius  and  the  needs  of  English- 
speaking  people,  and  in  our  own  land  twice  rever- 
ently revised  with  reference  to  the  changing  needs  of 
Christian  people;  and  we  are  under  obligations  to 
hold  to  the  treasures  of  the  past  and  to  commend 
them  to  the  men  of  new  generations.  It  is  the  Eng- 
lish-speaking Churches  alone  which  provide  an  order 
for  daily  Common  Prayer;  on  the  English-speaking 
Churches  rests  the  responsibility  of  continuing  its 
use  and  of  profiting  by  it  and  commending  it. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY 

General  Works,  and  Roman,  Sarum,  and  Quignonian  Brevi- 
aries, as  noted  at  end  of  Chapter  I. 

Englisli  Primers,  in  the  Parker  Society's  publications ;  to 
whicli  add — 

Littlehales  (Henry,  editor).  The  Prymer,  or  Prayer  Book  of 
the  Lay  People  in  the  Middle  Ages. 

Baumer  (Dom  S.),  History  of  the  Breviary.  In  German  and 
a  French  translation.  This  book  has  been  called  "monu- 
mental ". 

Batiffol  (Pierre),  History  of  the  Roman  Breviary.  In  French 
and  an  English  translation.     Learned  and  full  and  interesting. 

Baudot  (Dom  Jules),  The  Roman  Breviary.  Rather  a  popu- 
lar book,  based  on  the  two  preceding. 

Neale  (John  Mason),  The  Breviary,  Roman  and  Galilean, 
in  Essays  on  Liturgiology.  The  vi^hole  book  is  well  worth 
reading. 

Neale  (John  Mason),  Notes  on  the  Divine  Office.  Histori- 
cal and  mystical,  learned  and  quaint. 

Hallam  (R.  A.),  Lectures  on  the  Morning  Prayer.  Excellent 
for  homiletical  use. 


MORNING  AND  EVENING  PRA  YER  95 

For  the  Canticles,  consult  Julian's  Dictionary  of  Hymnology. 
But  for  the  Te  Deum,  Bishop  John  Wordsworth's  article  in  the 
Dictionary  should  be  balanced  by  Burn's  Niceta  of  Remesiana 
and  by  the  same  author's  book  next  cited. 

For  the  History  of  the  Creeds  : — 

Burn  (A.  E.),  An  Introduction  to  the  Creeds  and  to  the 
Te  Deum.     Very  full  and  learned. 

Gibson  (Bishop  C.  S.  G.),  The  Three  Creeds  (in  the  Oxford 
Library  of  Practical  Theology). 

Swete  (H.  B.),  The  Apostles'  Creed. 

McGiffert  (A.  C),  The  Apostles'  Creed. 

For  an  account  of  the  office-books  of  the  Eastern  Church, 
consult  Neale's  General  Introduction  to  his  History  of  the 
Holy  Eastern  Church,  Vol.  II. 

A  brief  but  complete  synopsis  of  the  Daily  Divine  Worship 
of  the  Orthodox  Church  is  found  in  the  Euchology,  done 
into  English  by  G.  V.  Shann  (Kidderminster,  1891). 

Note. —  In  the  English  Prayer  Book,  the  so-called  '  Creed 
of  St.  Athanasius '  or  'Athanasian  Creed',  or  'Athanasian 
Hymn  '  or  (from  its  initial  words  in  Latin)  '  Quiaitique  vuW  or 
more  accurately  ^  Qutcmnque  vult\  stands  before  the  Litany, 
with  a  rubric  requiring  that  it  be  read  at  Morning  Prayer  in- 
stead of  the  Apostles'  Creed  on  thirteen  specified  days,  includ. 
ing  the  five  great  festivals.  It  was  for  a  long  time  believed  to 
have  been  written  by  the  great  theologian  whose  name  it  bears  ; 
but  it  is  certainly  of  Latin  composition  and  written  after  the 
time  of  St.  Augustine,  though  earlier  than  the  year  500,  and  in  all 
probability  it  was  framed  by  some  writer  in  the  south  of  Gaul. 
It  combines  in  itself,  as  has  been  said,  a  creed,  a  canticle,  and 
a  sermon  on  the  creed  ;  and  it  has  also  at  the  beginning  and  the 
end  minatory  or  warning  clauses.  Its  purpose  was  evidently 
to  serve  in  a  time  of  danger  to  Christian  souls,  lest  in  deny- 
ing the  Faith  under  pressure  of  persecution  they  should  deny 
their  Lord  and  their  God.  Not  being  used  by  the  Greek 
Church  in  any  of  its  offices,  it  cannot  be  rightly  called  a  Catho- 
lic Creed ;  and  though  in  some  ways  it  gives  a  helpful  state- 
ment of  the  Catholic  Faith,  yet  by  reason  of  its  form,  the  number 


96  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 

of  phrases  which  call  for  explanation,  the  insufficiency  of  some 
definitions,  and  the  awkwardness  and  inaccuracy  of  its  trans- 
lation, it  is  not  well  fitted  for  public  recitation.  Our  Church 
was  quite  within  her  rights,  and  in  the  opinion  of  many  of  us 
acted  very  wisely,  in  omitting  it  from  the  Prayer  Book  ;  Bishop 
Seabury  would  have  preferred  that  it  should  be  retained  in  the 
Book  without  any  requirement  as  to  its  use.  The  Creed 
follows,  as  it  stands  in  the  English  Prayer  Book,  with  a  dec- 
laration as  to  its  meaning  and  interpretation  adopted  by  the 
Convention  of  Canterbury  in  1879. 

The  Confession  of  our  Christian  Faith,  commonly 

CALLED 

THE  CREED  OF  SAINT  ATHANASIUS 
Quicunque  vult 

Whosoever  will  be  saved :  before  all  things  it  is  necessary 
that  he  hold  the  Catholick  Faith. 

Which  faith  except  every  one  do  keep  whole  and  undefiled : 
without  doubt  he  shall  perish  everlastingly. 

And  the  Catholick  Faith  is  this :  That  we  worship  one  God 
in  Trinity,  and  Trinity  in  Unity  ; 

Neither  confounding  the  Persons :  nor  dividing  the  Sub- 
stance. 

For  there  is  one  Person  of  the  Father,  another  of  the  Son : 
and  another  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

But  the  Godhead  of  the  Father,  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  is  all  one  :  the  Glory  equal,  the  Majesty  co-eternal. 

Such  as  the  Father  is,  such  is  the  Son :  and  such  is  the 
Holy  Ghost. 

The  Father  uncreate,  the  Son  uncreate :  and  the  Holy  Ghost 
uncreate. 

The  Father  incomprehensible,  the  Son  incomprehensible : 
and  the  Holy  Ghost  incomprehensible. 

The  Father  eternal,  the  Son  eternal:  and  the  Holy  Ghost 
eternal. 

And  yet  they  are  not  three  eternals  :  but  one  eternal. 

As  also  there  are  not  three  incomprehensibles,  nor  three  un- 
created :  but  one  uncreated,  and  one  incomprehensible. 


MORNING  AND  EVENING  PRA  YER  97 

So  likewise  the  Father  is  Almighty,  the  Son  Almighty :  and 
the  Holy  Ghost  Almighty. 

And  yet  they  are  not  three  Almighties :  but  one  Almighty. 

So  the  Father  is  God,  the  Son  is  God :  and  the  Holy  Ghost 
is  God. 

And  yet  they  are  not  three  Gods  :  but  one  God. 

So  likewise  the  Father  is  Lord,  the  Son  Lord :  and  the  Holy 
Ghost  Lord. 

And  yet  not  three  Lords  :  but  one  Lord. 

For  like  as  we  are  compelled  by  the  Christian  verity :  ^o 
acknowledge  every  Person  by  himself  to  be  God  and  Lord  ; 

So  we  are  forbidden  by  the  Catholick  Religion  :  to  say,  There 
be  three  Gods,  or  three  Lords. 

The  Father  is  made  of  none :  neither  created,  nor  begotten. 

The  Son  is  of  the  Father  alone ;  not  made,  nor  created,  but 
begotten. 

The  Holy  Ghost  is  of  the  Father  and  of  the  Son :  neither 
made,  nor  created,  nor  begotten,  but  proceeding. 

So  there  is  one  Father,  not  three  Fathers  ;  one  Son,  not  three 
Sons :  one  Holy  Ghost,  not  three  Holy  Ghosts. 

And  in  this  Trinity  none  is  afore,  or  after  other ;  none  is 
greater,  or  less  than  another  ; 

But  the  whole  three  Persons  are  co-eternal  together :  and 
co-equal. 

So  that  in  all  things,  as  is  aforesaid :  the  Unity  in  Trinity, 
and  the  Trinity  in  Unity  is  to  be  worshipped. 

He  therefore  that  will  be  saved :  must  thus  think  of  the 
Trinity. 

Furthermore,  it  is  necessary  to  everlasting  salvation :  that 
he  also  believe  rightly  the  Incarnation  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ. 

For  the  right  Faith  is,  that  we  believe  and  confess :  that  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  is  God  and  Man  ; 

God,  of  the  Substance  of  the  Father,  begotten  before  the 
worlds :  and  Man,  of  the  Substance  of  his  Mother,  bom  in  the 
world  ; 

Perfect  God,  and  perfect  man :  of  a  reasonable  soul  and 
human  flesh  subsisting ; 

S 


98  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 

Equal  to  the  Father,  as  touching  his  Godhead  :  and  inferior 
to  the  Father,  as  touching  his  Manhood. 

Who  although  he  be  God  and  Man :  yet  he  is  not  two,  but 
one  Christ ; 

One  ;  not  by  conversion  of  the  Godhead  into  flesh :  but  by 
taking  of  the  Manhood  into  God  ; 

One  altogether ;  not  by  confusion  of  Substance :  but  by 
unity  of  Person. 

For  as  the  reasonable  soul  and  flesh  is  one  man :  so  God 
and  Man  is  one  Christ ; 

Who  suffered  for  our  salvation:  descended  into  hell,  rose 
again  the  third  day  from  the  dead. 

He  ascended  into  heaven,  he  sitteth  on  the  right  hand  of 
the  Father,  God  Almighty :  from  whence  he  shall  come  to 
judge  the  quick  and  the  dead. 

At  whose  coming  all  men  shall  rise  again  with  their  bodies : 
and  shall  give  account  for  their  own  works. 

And  they  that  have  done  good  shall  go  into  life  everlasting : 
and  they  that  have  done  evil  into  everlasting  fire. 

This  is  the  Catholick  Faith  :  which  except  a  man  believe 
faithfully,  he  cannot  be  saved. 

Glory  be  to  the  Father,  and  to  the  Son :  and  to  the  Holy 
Ghost ; 

As  it  was  in  the  beginning,  is  now,  and  ever  shall  be  :  world 
without  end.     Amen. 

Synodical  Declaration  of  the 
Synod  of  Canterbury 

"For  the  removal  of  doubts  and  to  prevent  disquietude  in 
the  u.se  of  the  Creed  commonly  called  the  Creed  of  St.  Athana- 
sius,  it  is  hereby  solemnly  declared  — 


'That  the  Confession  of  our  Christian  Faith,  commonly 
called  the  Creed  of  St.  Athanasius,  doth  not  make  any 
addition  to  the  faith  as  contained  in  Holy  Scripture,  but 
warneth  against  errors  which  from  time  to  time  have 
arisen  in  the  Church  of  Christ. 


MORNING  AND  EVENING  PRAYER  99 


"That  as  Holy  Scripture  in  divers  places  doth  promise  life 
to  them  that  believe,  and  declare  the  condemnation  of 
them  that  believe  not,  so  doth  the  Church  in  this  Con- 
fession declare  the  necessity  for  all  who  would  be  in  a 
state  of  salvation  of  holding  fast  the  CathoHc  Faith,  and 
the  great  peril  of  rejecting  the  same.  Wherefore  the 
warnings  in  this  Confession  of  Faith  are  to  be  understood 
no  otherwise  than  the  like  warnings  of  Holy  Scripture ; 
for  we  must  receive  God's  threatenings,  even  as  His  prom- 
ises, in  such  wise  as  they  are  generally  set  forth  in  Holy 
Writ.  Moreover,  the  Church  doth  not  herein  pronounce 
judgment  on  any  particular  person  or  persons,  God  alone 
being  the  Judge  of  all." 


IV. 

THE  LITANY 

THE  word  'Litany'  is  Greek,  Xtraveia,  from 
the  verb  Xlaao/xat  or  XiTTO/xai,  to  *  petition ' 
or  'pray' ;  but  the  Litany  of  our-service  books  is 
distinctively  Western  in  its  history  and  its  use.  It 
corresponds  in  definition  to  the  Latin  rogatio  and 
in  sense  to  preces.  The  'Lesser  Litany' — Kyrie 
eleison,  Christe  eleison,  Kyrie  eleison  ("Lord  have 
mercy,  Christ  have  mercy.  Lord  have  mercy")  —  is 
indeed  still  said  in  Greek  in  the  Latin  services,  a 
reminder  of  the  time  when  the  Church  at  Rome 
worshipped  in  Greek  and  an  Apostle  used  the  Greek 
language  in  addressing  it;  and  there  are  still  in  the 
Greek  liturgies  the  so-called  'Deacon's  Litanies', 
like  English  bidding-prayers,  in  which  the  deacon 
makes  mention  of  the  persons  or  things  for  which 
the  people  should  pray,  and  a  response  of  Kyrie 
eleison  is  made  to  each  clause. 

But  neither  of  these  is  exactly  what  we  mean  by 
the  word.  Our  Litany,  though  doubtless  influenced 
by  such  forms  as  these,  is  traced  back  at  Rome  and 
in  Gaul  to  popular  services  of  supplication  in  times 
of  special  distress  and  danger,  said  or  sung  in  pro- 
cession. The  name  specially  associated  with  these 
services  is  that  of  Mamertus,  Bishop  of  Vienne  in 
the  Rhone  valley,  who  about  the  year  470  called  his 


THE  LITANY  101 


people  to  special  devotions  of  this  kind  on  the  three 
days  preceding  the  festival  of  the  Ascension.  "Men's 
hearts  were  failing  them  for  fear  and  for  looking 
after  those  things  which  were  coming  upon  the 
earth."  The  barbarians  were  invading  the  Empire, 
there  were  earthquakes  and  volcanic  eruptions,  fam- 
ine and  pestilence,  present  danger  and  fear  for  the 
future.  Thus  the  prayers  or  'rogations'  began  with 
processions  about  the  fields  and  the  desolated  country ; 
at  Rome  and  elsewhere  like  customs  grew  up, 
appealing  to  the  people  because  they  could  readily 
take  an  intelligent  part  in  them,  and  assuming  that 
definite  form  which  is  still  preserved.  We  are  told 
that  they  were  specially  encouraged  at  Rome  by  St. 
Gregory  (about  the  year  590);  and  when  St.  Augus- 
tine and  his  companions  entered  Canterbury  on  a 
Rogation-day  in  597,  they  were  singing  a  'litany'  or 
'procession'.  A  Litany  of  the  Saxon  Church  has 
been  preserved  for  us,  of  date  before  1000,  showing 
the  antiquity  of  most  of  our  petitions;  and  we  have 
also  a  vernacular  English  Litany  of  date  about 
1400.' 

From  the  very  popularity  (perhaps  we  may  say,  in- 
formality) of  these  services,  corruptions  crept  into 
them.  They  had  been,  as  ours  are  now,  specially 
addressed  to  Christ  by  those  whom  He  had  redeemed ; 
but  about  the  eighth  century  petitions  to  the  departed 
saints  that  they  would  pray  for  their  suppliants  were 


'  It  can  be  found  in  Maskell,  Monumenta  Ritualia,  ii.  223. 


102  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

introduced;  and  after  a  time,  a  Litany  meant  little 
more  than  07'a  pro  nobis,  said  after  each  name  in  the 
recitation  of  a  long  roll  of  saints,  some  biblical,  some 
historical,  some  obscure,  some  occasionally  imaginary. 
This  'invocation',  it  may  be  noted,  has  never  found 
its  way  into  the  text  of  the  Roman  Breviary  or  Mis- 
sal, except  in  hymns  and  antiphons;  and  it  has 
been  abridged  in  the  authorized  Roman  Litany, 
though  in  it  fifty-two  saints  and  angels  are  still  in- 
voked —  not  asked  to  do  what  none  but  God  can  do, 
but  asked  to  pray  to  God  for  us  on  earth,  presumably 
as  having  nearer  access  to  Him  than  we  can  have. 

The  Litany  is  the  first  service  in  our  Prayer  Book 
which  was  put  into  English,  the  only  service  which 
dates  in  its  English  form  from  the  reign  of  King 
Henry  VHL  In  1543  a  special  'procession'  had 
been  enjoined  from  fear  of  famine  and  distress; 
among  other  things,  war  had  broken  out  both  with 
Scotland  and  with  France.  The  King  sent  a  com- 
mission to  Cranmer,  bidding  him  draw  up  a  Litany 
in  English,  and  possibly  making  some  suggestions 
in  the  form  of  a  preliminary  draft.  In  the  next 
year,  1544,  Cranmer  had  the  Litany  ready  and  it 
was  set  forth  for  use.  Whatever  the  King,  had 
suggested,  the  work  was  the  Archbishop's  through- 
out. It  is  evident  that  he  used  material  from  the 
current  Latin  form,  from  a  similar  service  set  out 
by  Luther,  and  from  the  Greek  Liturgies.  And 
in  the  Litany,  Cranmer,  as  a  translator,  compiler, 
composer,  and    master  of  English,  was  at   his  very 


THE  LITANY  103 


best;  he  framed  a  universal  service,  a 'general  sup- 
plication'. 

The  transitional  character  of  the  time  of  composi- 
tion is  shown  by  the  fact  that  not  all  invocation  of 
saints  was  omitted,  while  yet  the  breach  with  Rome 
was  irrevocably  made;  the  doctrinal  reformation,  we 
may  say,  was  incomplete,  though  the  political  ref- 
ormation was  assured:  'Saint  Mary,  Mother  of  God', 
'All  holy  angels  and  archangels',  'AH  holy  patriarchs 
and  prophets  .  .  ,'  were  asked  to  'pray  for  us,'  and  a 
little  further  on  was  the  petition,  "From  the  tyranny 
of  the  Bishop  of  Rome  and  all  his  detestable  enormi- 
ties. Good  Lord,  deliver  us."  In  another  and  more 
pleasing  way,  the  introduction  of  new  petitions  bears 
testimony  to  the  sense  of  spiritual  need  awakened  by 
better  acquaintance  with  the  Scriptures.  Every 
reference  to  God's  Word  is  new;  as  the  prayer  to  be 
kept  'from  contempt  of  thy  Word  and  Command- 
ment', the  prayers  that  the  clergy  may  have  'true 
knowledge  and  understanding  of  thy  Word',  that  the 
people  'may  hear  meekly  thy  Word'  and  may  'receive 
it  with  pure  affection',  and  that  we  may  'amend  our 
lives  according  to  thy  holy  Word.'  So  also  a  deep 
spiritual  sense  is  shown  by  the  insertion  of  petitions 
that  magistrates  may  'execute  justice  and  maintain 
truth',  that  God's  people  may  be  kept  'from  hardness 
of  heart',  and  that  they  may  'love  and  fear'  Him.  The 
combining  of  several  petitions  under  one  response, 
with  which  some  critics  find  fault,  seems  to  the 
present  writer  to  be  one  of  the  most  praiseworthy 


1 04  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 

features  of  Cranmer's  work.  The  use  of  'Good 
Lord',  in  addressing  our  Saviour  Christ,  is  to  be 
noted  as  peculiarly  English. 

Few  changes  have  been  made  in  the  Litany  since 
its  compilation.  The  invocations  of  angels  and 
saints  were  omitted  in  1549,  when  the  service  was 
put  into  the  first  Prayer  Book ;  the  petition  against 
the  tyranny  of  the  Bishop  of  Rome  was  omitted  in 
1559,  under  Queen  Elizabeth;  the  petitions  against 
rebellion  and  schism  were  inserted  in  1662,  after 
England  had  had  experience  of  both.  In  the  prepa- 
ration of  our  American  Book,  the  State  petitions,  as 
they  may  be  called,  were  omitted;  at  the  last  revi- 
sion the  petition  for  labourers  in  the  harvest  was  in- 
serted, a  suggestion  to  that  effect  having  been  made 
in  Reformation  days  by  Hermann,  Archbishop  of 
Cologne.  A  few  marks  of  quaintness  remain  in 
the  use  of  words,  especially  in  the  English  Book; 
hardly  any  in  our  Book  call  for  notice,  except  that 
few  people  know  that  the  'kindly  fruits  of  the  earth' 
mean  the  'natural'  fruits,  those  which  each  green 
thing  bears  'after  its  kind.'- 

A  few  other  words  and  phrases  call  for  brief  note. 
In  the  first  petition,  'the  Father  of  Heaven'  means 
practically  'heavenly  Father' ;  the  Latin  is  Pater  de 


^'Kind*  is  the  participle  of  the  verb  'kin';  'kind'  people 
are  related  people,  and  related  people  are,  or  ought  to  be,  kind 
to  each  other.  '  Kindly '  is  often  a  very  good  translation  for  the 
Latin  pius^  as  meaning  that  which  does  its  natural  duty ;  e.g., 
pius  Apneas,  pia  testa. 


THE  LITANY  105 


ccelis  Dens;  and  in  reading  there  should  be  a  semi- 
pause  after 'Father'.  'From  all  inordinate  and  sinful 
affections'  replaces  the  English  'From  fornication 
and  all  other  deadly  sin'  (see  Colossians  iii.  5),  and 
practically  means  the  same.  'Sudden  death'  means 
death  unprepared  for.  'Prosperity'  in  the  last  depre- 
cation is  in  the  English  Book  'wealth',  that  is,  the 
state  of  'weal';  in  England  they  pray  for  the  Sov- 
ereign, 'grant  him  in  health  and  wealth  long  to  live' 
(compare  in  Psalm  Ixvi.  12,  "Thou  broughtest  us  out 
into  a  wealthy  place"). ^  'To  love  and  fear  thee'  re- 
places 'to  love  and  dread  thee';  and  'after',  it  needs 
hardly  be  said,  means  'according  to',  which  has 
actually  been  substituted  for  it  later  on.  'Finally  to 
beat  down'  seems  to  mean  'to  beat  down  finally'  or 
'thoroughly'. 

An  analysis  of  the  Litany  is  made  comparatively 
simple  by  the  careful  way  in  which  it  is  printed  in 
our  Book.  It  begins  with  Invocations  of  each 
Person  of  the  Godhead  and  of  the  Holy  Trinity; 
which,  by  the  way,  should  always  be  said  by  the 
minister  first  and  then  repeated  by  the  people. 
Then  follows  the  'Remember  not,  Lord,'  addressed 
to  Christ,  which  is  the  ancient  Antiphon  (see  below) 


^It  is  said  that  Bishop  Seabury  did  not  wish  to  make  the 
change  in  these  two  places ;  and  that  when  he  assented  to  it, 
he  said  to  Bishop  White :  "  I  trust  that  you  will  not  hence- 
forth speak  of  the  Commonwealth  of  Pennsylvania,  but  will 
call  it  the  Common-prosperity  of  Pennsylvania." 


106  THE  BOOK  OF  CO  MMON  PRA  VER 

to  the  Penitential  Psalms,  and  stands  as  such  at  the 
beginning  of  the  Visitation  of  the  Sick.  This  intro- 
duces the  Deprecations,  or  petitions  to  be  delivered 
from  specified  evils  and  dangers, —  physical,  moral, 
and  spiritual ;  and  these  lead  to  the  Obsecrations,  or 
prayers  appealing  to  the  successive  acts  in  our 
Lord's  redemptive  work  from  the  Incarnation  to  the 
Pentecostal  gift;  to  which  succeeds  one  more  most 
earnest  and  far-reaching  Deprecation. 

We  pass  then  to  Intercessions,  that  is  prayers  for 
others  or  for  ourselves  in  connection  with  others;  and 
the  Church  thereby  helps  us  to  bring  all,  in  all  their 
varied  needs,  before  their  common  Intercessor  in  the 
heavens,  quickening  thereby  our  devotion  and  widen- 
ing our  sympathies,  and  leading  to  the  prayer  that  all 
may  be  brougnt  to  repentance  and  forgiveness  and 
amendment  of  life.  One  earnest  petition  to  the  Son 
of  God  leads  to  the  Agnus  Dei,  repeated  with  a  two- 
fold response  for  peace  and  for  mercy.  Then  after 
'O  Christ,  hear  us',  come  the  three  petitions  of  the 
Lesser  Litany  and  the  Lord's  Prayer  said  without 
the  Doxology. 

The  portion  of  the  service  which  follows  is  full  of 
what  Archbishop  Trench  called  'fossil  history', 
showing  a  composite  structure  and  the  survival  of 
earnest  supplications  in  time  of  distress.  As  was 
said  in  speaking  of  the  versicles  which  follow  the 
Creed  in  the  daily  service,  we  have  here  two  ex- 
amples of  versicle  and  response,  distinctly  marked 
by  'Minister'  and  'Answer',  followed  by  'Let  us  pray' 


THE  LITANY  107 


and  a  full  prayer.  That  which  begins  *0  God, 
merciful  Father',  dates  from  about  the  year  800,  and 
is  the  old  prayer  against  distress  of  soul  and  persecu- 
tion, from  which  latter  (we  may  well  remember) 
many  Christians  are  suffering  to-day.  Owing  to  a 
misunderstanding,  'Amen  '  is  not  printed  after  this 
prayer,  as  it  should  be,  and  'O  Lord,  arise',  is  there- 
fore said  as  if  it  were  a  response  to  what  precedes. 
In  point  of  fact,  it  is  not  this  at  all,  but  belongs  to 
what  follows,  thus  giving  the  only  full  example  of  a 
Psalm  with  its  Antiphon  remaining  in  our  Prayer 
Book.*  Here  the  Psalm  is  the  forty-fourth,  of 
which  but  one  verse  is  recited,  but  the  whole  of 
which  is  suggested  (as  the  whole  of  P.salm  xxii  was 
suggested  by  our  Lord's  use  of  its  first  verse  on  the 
Cross);  the  Antiphon  is  said  before  and  after  it  to 
show  its  application  to  the  present  needs  of  the 
Church  and  God's  ability  to  supply  them,  and  then 
the  Gloria  of  the  Psalm  is  said,  seemingly  out  of 
place  in  a  Litany  but  rarely  omitted  at  the  end  of  a 
Psalm. ^  Then  follow  four  pairs  of  'preces',  taken 
from  the  old  Roman  Litany  against  the  evils  of  war 
which  was  said  for  some  now  unknown  reason  on 


*An  Antiphon  is  a  phrase  or  clause,  said  before  and  after  a 
Psalm  or  Canticle  (sometimes  abbreviated  in  the  former  case), 
as  giving  the  key-note  of  the  sense  in  which  the  Psalm  or  Can- 
ticle is  used  or  the  interpretation  which  is  to  be  put  upon  it. 

•'  Maude,  in  his  handbook,  holds  that '  O  Lord,  arise',  is  here 
not  an  antiphon,  but  a  respond  ;  the  ditference  is  rather  one  of 
name  than  of  fact. 


]  08  THE  BOOK  OF  CO.  MM  ON  PRA  YER 

St.  Mark's  Day.*  Another  ancient  prayer  is  intro- 
duced in  the  ancient  way,  and  the  Litany  is  then 
brought  to  an  end,  as  may  be  seen  by  noting  how 
it  is  printed  at  the  end  of  the  Prayer  Book  for  use  at 
Ordinations.  The  General  Thanksgiving  is  printed 
here  for  convenience,  to  make  sure  that  in  the  normal 
service  the  element  of  thanksgiving  shall  not  be 
omitted.  And  the  Prayer  of  St.  Chrysostom  stands 
where  Cranmer  placed  it  in  1544,  apparently  to  lead 
the  devotions  on  from  the  Litany  to  the  service  of 
the  Holy  Communion. 

This  Prayer  of  St.  Chrysostom  was  taken  from  the 
ancient  Greek  Liturgy  which  bears  the  name  of  the 
'golden-mouthed'  Patriarch  of  Constantinople  (John 
was  his  name,  and  Chrysostom  his  title),  and  also  in 
the  earlier  Liturgy  of  which  this  is  an  expansion  and 
which  bears  the  name  of  Basil;  it  cannot  in  fact  be 
traced  back  to  either  of  those  Fathers,  but  it  is  as  old 
as  the  ninth  century.  In  these  Liturgies  —  it  must 
be  remembered  that  the  word  'liturgy',  when  accu- 
rately used,  means  the  service  for  the  Eucharist  — 
the  prayer  stands  near  the  beginning  and  in  close 
connection  with  the  'Deacon's  Litany'  mentioned 
above.  It  may  well  have  been  that  Cranmer,  look- 
ing into  this  part  of  the  Liturgy  of  St.  Chrysostom 


*  Perhaps  '  O  Son  of  David '  is  a  misreading  for  '  O  Son  of 
the  living  God',  FILIDEIVIVI  in  abbreviation  being  mis- 
taken for  FILIDAVID  or  FILIDVD  ;  but  the  phrase  as 
it  stands  is  in  the  Gospels  on  the  lips  of  the  Syrophoenician 
woman. 


THE  LITANY  109 


as  he  was  preparing  his  Litany,  was  struck  with  the 
beauty  and  appropriateness  of  the  prayer  which 
served  to  lead  the  way  to  the  solemn  office  that  was 
to  follow,  and  thus  translated  it  with  great  felicity 
into  words  which  have  become  familiar.  It  was 
not  until  1662  that  it  was  placed  at  the  end  of  Morn- 
ing and  Evening  Prayer;  and  until  that  time  it  may 
have  kept  in  the  minds  of  worshippers  its  original 
meaning  as  an  introductory  prayer,  the  expression 
of  a  wish  that  God  would  guide  and  accept  the 
'desires  and  petitions'  which  His  servants  were 
about  to  present,  especially  as  the  Litany  usually 
preceded  the  Communion  Service.  For  us  it  has 
become  a  customary  closing  prayer,  and  it  signifies 
now  that  we  put  our  petitions,  imperfectly  framed  in 
our  minds  and  expressed  in  our  words,  into  the 
hands  of  the  great  Intercessor,  that  He  may  fulfil 
them  as  is  best  for  us ;  and  we  venture  to  ask  con- 
fidently for  no  more  than  we  know  He  wishes  to  give 
us,  "in  this  world  knowledge  of  His  truth,  and  in 
the  world  to  come  life  everlasting." 

'The  Grace'  was  first  introduced  into  the  English 
Prayer  Book  in  1559.  Its  place  in  the  Greek  Litur- 
gies is  at  the  very  beginning  of  the  central  part  of 
the  service  or  'Anaphora',  where  it  introduces  the 
words  'Lift  up  your  hearts'.  It  has  now  become  a 
customary  'final  Prayer  of  Blessing'. 

The  appointed  Litany-days  are  Sundays,  Wednes- 
days, and  Fridays:  Sundays,  as  being  the  days  when 
the  largest  congregations  can  be  bidden  to  this  great 


no  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

act  of  supplication  and  intercession;  Fridays,  as 
being  the  weekly  commemoration  of  the  Passion; 
and  Wednesdays,  possibly  as  thought  to  be  related 
to  the  betrayal  of  our  Lord.  Of  old,  Wednesdays 
and  Fridays  were  called  'station-days',  that  is 
days  when  the  Christian  soldier  was  to  think  him- 
self specially  on  duty,  for  statio  in  Latin  means  a 
soldier's  'post'.  The  Litany  should  also  be  said  on 
Rogation  Monday  and  Tuesday  and  Ember  Satur- 
days. When  the  allowed  permission  is  taken  to 
omit  a  part  of  the  Litany,  as  is  constantly  done 
on  ordinary  occasions,  the  words  'Let  us  pray' 
should  be  said  before  the  prayer  'We  humbly  beseech 
thee'.'  The  Litany  is  always  said  at  Ordinations, 
and  in  England  at  the  Coronation  of  a  Sovereign. 

The  use  of  the  Litany-desk  or  fald-stool  (that  is, 
'folding-chair')  placed  below  the  chancel  or  choir, 
that  the  Litany  may  be  said  'in  the  midst  of  the 
Church'  among  the  people,  is  ancient.  And  in 
cathedral  and  other  elaborate  services,  the  parts 
printed  in  roman  type  are  sometimes  sung  by  two 
clergymen  or  lay-clerks  together,  except  where  the 
word  'Minister'  (in  the  English  Book  'Priest')  is 
printed.**  The  Litany  is  also  occasionally  sung  with 
the  choir  in  procession." 

'  The  omitted  part  of  the  service  should  not  be  called  the 
'  Lesser  Litany ',  for  it  is  more  than  that,  but  the  '  discretionary 
part  of  the  Litany'. 

*  In  Ely  and  Exeter  Cathedrals,  we  believe,  it  is  the  regular 
practice  for  two  lay-clerks  to  sing  it  together. 

'See  Karslake  (W.  H.),  The  Litany  of  the  English  Church. 
(London,  1876.) 


V. 
SPECIAL  PRAYERS  AND  THANKSGIVINGS 

THE  'Prayers  and  Thanksgivings  upon  Several 
(that  is  to  say,  separate  or  distinct  or  special) 
Occasions'  need  not  be  noticed  at  length.  In 
accordance  with  the  general  rule  of  worship,  that 
what  is  particular  in  statement  should  follow  what 
is  general,  the  special  prayers  are  read  last  among 
the  prayers  and  the  special  thanksgivings  follow  the 
General  Thanksgiving.  It  may  well  be  noted  that 
the  rubrics  placed  in  the  section  devoted  to  'Special 
Prayers  and  Thanksgivings'  are  as  obligatory  as 
any  others.  It  is  a  duty  to  the  State  as  well  as  to 
the  Church  that  our  congregations  should  pray  for 
Congress  'during  their  session' ;  and  it  would  seem 
that  this  requires  that  it  be  read  on  each  Sunday 
when  the  largest  congregation  is  assembled,  and 
at  least  twice  or  thrice  a  week  when  there  is  daily 
service.  The  Prayer  for  a  General  or  Diocesan  Con- 
vention should  be  constantly  read  while  the  Conven- 
tion is  sitting;  and  on  no  account  should  the  Ember 
or  Rogation  Prayers  be  omitted  on  any  of  the  days 
to  which  they  are  assigned.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
permission  to  insert  in  the  Prayer  for  All  Conditions 
of  Men  the  clause,  'especially  those  for  whom  our 
prayers  are  desired',  enables  the  minister  to  ask  for 
special    remembrance   of   the   sick   or   suffering    or 


1 1 2  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

afflicted  on  frequent  occasions  without  too  often 
repeating  the  special  prayers.  In  a  small  congrega- 
tion, where  everyone  is  known  and  when  a  case  of 
serious  sickness  or  a  death  calls  for  everyone's  sym- 
pathy, the  special  prayers  mean  more  than  in  a  large 
congregation,  where  their  application  does  not  come 
home  to  all  with  the  like  emphasis.  It  is  the  opin- 
ion of  the  writer  that  the  minister  may  make 
changes  in  the  words  just  quoted,  printed  as  they 
are  in  italic,  at  his  discretion;  as  for  instance, 
'especially  the  sick  person',  'especially  the  family  in 
affliction',  or  even  'especially  thy  sick  servant  the 
Governor  of  this  State',  or  'thy  sick  servant  John 
Jones'.  And  it  would  seem  that  no  reasonable  ob- 
jection could  be  made  to  the  minister's  saying  before 
the  prayer,  'The  prayers  of  the  congregation  are 
desired  for  a  sick  man',  or  'for  John  Jones,  in  his 
sickness' ;  this  seems  less  awkward  and  more  direct 
than,  as  was  once  the  custom  in  some  places,  to  use 
this  form  of  'bidding'  before  the  words,  'The  Lord 
be  with  you'. 

The  Prayer  for  Congress  is  modified  from  the 
English  Prayer  for  the  High  Court  of  Parliament. 
It  stood  in  the  Proposed  (American)  Book  of  1786, 
while  Congress  was  the  only  federal  branch  of  gov- 
ernment, so  that  its  use  antedates  by  four  years  the 
provision  of  a  prayer  for  the  President  of  the  United 
States.  By  a  strange  irony  of  history,  the  Prayer 
for  Parliament  is  traced  to  the  pen  of  Archbishop 
Laud,    who   in    1625,    when   he   was    Bishop  of   St. 


SPECIAL  PRA  VERS  AND  THANKSGIVINGS    1 13 

Davids,  set  forth  in  an  "Order  of  Fasting"  a  form 
of  prayer  for  that  body  which  some  twenty  years 
later  sent  him  to  the  block,  as  the  first  man  in  Eng- 
land condemned  to  death  by  an  ordinance  of  Parlia- 
ment. The  Prayer  for  Convention  is  framed  upon  a 
rhetorical  passage  at  the  end  of  the  Homily  for  Whit- 
sunday; it  was  set  forth  in  1799.  In  this,  'the  Coun- 
cil of  the  blessed  Apostles'  means  that  of  which  we 
have  a  record  in  Acts  xv.  The  Prayer  for  the  Unity 
of  God's  People,  placed  in  cur  Book  at  the  last  revis- 
ion, is  taken  from  the  service  at  the  end  of  the  Eng- 
lish Prayer  Book  for  use  on  the  anniversary  of  the 
accession  of  the  Sovereign;  it  seems  to  date  from 
Queen  Anne's  reign.  That  for  Missions  is  peculiar 
to  our  Book,  and  was  also  inserted  at  the  last  revision; 
it  is  one  of  the  prayers  in  the  collection  published  by 
the  Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel,  and  is, 
with  a  slight  modification.  Bishop  Cosin's  prayer  for 
India.  The  six  Prayers  which  follow  are  from  the 
English  Book,  with  some  modifications;  they  date 
respectively  from  1549,  1549,  1552,  1559,  1662,  and 
1604.  The  second  Ember  Prayer  was  brought  here 
from  the  Ordinal;  the  first  (specially  appropriate,  as 
it  would  seem,  to  the  earlier  part  of  the  week)  was 
written  by  Bishop  Cosin,  whose  influence  on  the  re- 
vision of  the  English  Bcok  (1660- 1662)  was  both  wise 
and  strong.  The  Prayers  for  Fruitful  Seasons,  well 
suited  for  haying  and  harvest,  or  for  any  time  of 
anxiety  for  the  crops,  as  well  as  for  the  historic 
Rogation-tide,  are  not  in  the  English  Book,  and  date 
9 


1 1 4  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 


with  us  from  1892:  the  first  is  the  only  thing  for 
which  we  are  (at  least  directl}')  indebted  to  the  pro- 
posed English  revision  of  1689;  the  second  is  Ameri- 
can. None  of  the  Prayers  which  follow  are  in  the 
English  Book,  except  that  for  a  Sick  Child,  which 
stands  there  in  the  Visitation  of  the  Sick;  they  date 
with  us  from  1790.  The  attribution  of  all  or  some  of 
them  to  Bishop  Jeremy  Taylor  is  a  mistake.  Those 
for  a  Sick  Person,  for  Persons  under  AfHiction,  and 
for  Persons  going  to  Sea,  have  added  much  to  the 
helpfulness  of  our  services.* 

The  first  of  the  Special  Thanksgivings  has  been 
brought  to  its  present  place  from  the  Churching 
Office.  The  four  which  follow,  and  the  next  but  one 
after  them,  date  from  1604,  when  they  were  called 
'An  enlargement  of  thanksgiving  for  divers  benefits, 
by  way  of  explanation' ;  that  for  Restoring  Public 
Peace  at  Home  was  inserted  appropriately  in  1662, 
when  the  use  of  the  Prayer  Book,  forbidden  by  law 
for  fifteen  years,  had  been  resumed;  its  suggestion 
came  from  Bishop  Wren,  a  stern  royalist."  The 
three  Thanksgivings  at  the  end  are  peculiar  to  our 
American  Book;  the  first  and  the  third  date  from 
1790,  and  the  second  from  1892. 


'  The  words  in  italics  in  these  prayers,  it  needs  hardly  be 
said,  are  to  be  modified  in  gender  and  number  according  to  the 
facts  of  each  case.  '  Condemnation',  in  the  heading  of  the  last 
prayer,  means  condemnation  to  death. 

^ '  Outrage '  means  '  outbreaking" ;  and  '  seditious "  is  used  in 
its  Latin  sense  of  '  civil  disturbance',  trouble  and  war  at  home. 
'Apparent',  in  the  preceding  Thanksgiving,  means  'evident'. 


SPECIAL  PR  A  VERS  AND  THANKSGIVINGS    1 1 S 


The  Penitential  Office 

The  Penitential  Office  for  Ash-Wednesday  is  the 
survival  of  the  ancient  public  acts  of  penitence  with 
which  the  Church  entered  upon  the  solemn  season  of 
Lent.  All  its  parts,  with  the  exception  of  one  short 
prayer,  are  in  the  service  called  in  the  English 
Prayer  Book,  "A  Commination,  or  denouncing  of 
God's  anger  and  judgments  against  sinners,  with 
certain  prayers,  to  be  used  on  the  first  day  of  Lent, 
and  at  other  times  as  the  Ordinary  shall  appoint." 
It  dates  from  1549,  and  consists  of  a  brief  exhorta- 
tion, the  recital  of  curses  contained  in  Deuteronomy 
xxvii  and  others,  to  each  of  which  the  people 
respond  'Amen',  and  a  long  homily  made  up  of 
passages  of  Scripture,  leading  to  the  Miserere  and 
Prayers.  In  our  Prayer  Book  of  1790,  the  service 
was  omitted,  but  the  three  prayers  beginning  with 
*0  Lord,  we  beseech  thee'  were  placed  after  the 
Collect  for  Ash-Wednesday,  with  a  rubric  directing 
their  use  on  that  day  at  the  end  of  the  Litany.  In 
1892,  the  Psalm  and  versicles  were  replaced,  the 
prayer  'O  God,  whose  nature  and  property'  was 
brought  in  from  another  place  in  the  English  Book, 
and,  the  comminatory  part  of  the  service  being  still 
excluded,  the  service  became  a  Penitential  Office. 
Its  great  solemnity,  as  well  as  its  historic  use,  seem 
to  limit  it  to  occasions  which  may  be  reckoned  with 
Ash-Wednesday  as  times  of  public  penitence.  There 
is  no  rubric  as  to  the  way  in  which  the  Psalm  is  to 


1 16  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 

be  said ;  it  seems  most  natural  that  it  should  follow 
the  custom  of  the  Psalter  in  the  daily  offices.  The 
use  of  Psalm  li  here  and  of  the  six  others  in  Morning 
and  Evening  Prayer  on  Ash-Wednesday,  brings  all 
the  Penitential  Psalms  into  the  services  of  that  day. 
The  High-priestly  blessing  from  Numbers  vi  given 
here  in  the  first  person  plural  as  a  benedictory 
prayer — in  the  Visitation  of  the  Sick  it  is  in  the 
second  person  singular,  and  is  thus  a  blessing  —  pro- 
vides a  form  which  may  be  used  by  a  lay-reader  or  a 
deacon  at  the  close  of  a  service,  or  at  family  prayers, 
or  on  other  occasions. 


VI. 

THE  COLLECTS,  EPISTLES,  AND  GOSPELS 

WE  pass  now  to  the  Collects,  Epistles,  and 
Gospels,  which  belong  to  the  part  of  the 
Prayer  Book  corresponding  to  the  Missal,  as  they 
have  their  place  in  the  service  of  the  Holy  Commun- 
ion ;  though  the  Collect  for  the  day  is  also  repeated 
in  Morning  and  Evening  Prayer,  as  indeed  it  was 
formerly  used  in  the  daily  offices.  Something  must 
be  said  of  the  Collects  and  their  history,  of  the 
selection  and  arrangement  of  the  Epistles  and  Gos- 
pels, and  of  the  titles  of  certain  days  and  portions  of 
the  Christian  year. 

The  New  English  Dictionary  gives  this  definition 
of  the  word  Collect  as  a  liturgical  term,  enclosing  part 
of  it  in  quotation  marks:  "A  name  given  to  'a  com- 
paratively short  prayer,  more  or  less  condensed  in 
form,  and  aiming  at  a  single  point,  or  at  two  points 
closely  connected  with  the  other,'  one  or  more  of 
which,  according  to  the  occasion  and  season,  have 
been  used  in  the  public  worship  of  the  Western 
Church  from  an  early  date;  applied  particularly  to 
the  prayer,  which  varies  with  the  day,  week,  or 
octave,  said  before  the  Epistle  in  the  Mass  or  Eucha- 
ristic  service,  and  in  the  Anglican  service  also  in 
Morning  and  Evening  Prayer,  called  for  distinction 
the  Collect  of  the  day." 


]  18  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 


The  Collect  in  itself  is,  as  the  description  says, 
distinctively  Western  in  its  form  and  use;  there  is 
nothing  corresponding  to  it  in  the  Oriental  Litur- 
gies. The  word  'Collect'  does  not  occur  in  the 
present  Roman  service-books,  though  it  has  worked 
back  from  England,  at  least  into  France,  as  a  popular 
name.  It  is  found  in  old  Latin  books  in  the  forms 
*collecta  and  ^collectio" ;  the  Gregorian  Sacramentary 
once  calls  the  prayer  '  oratio  nd  collectam'  and  twice 
Uollecta' ;  the  Galilean  books,  as  Mr.  Warren  tells 
us,  earlier  used  Uollectio' ,  and  later  'collecta. 
'  Collecta'  is  formed  on  the  same  principle  as  the 
classic  'vindicta'  and  ^repulsa\  and  means  a  gathering 
of  the  people,  either  for  worship  at  the  place  to 
which  they  come  or  to  go  to  the  place  appointed  for 
worship;  the  Collect  then  was  the  prayer  'ad  col- 
iectani  ,  'atthe  assembling'.  'Co/lectio',  on  the  other 
hand,  seems  to  scholars  to  .show  that  the  prayer 
called  by  that  name  was  a  concise  summing  up  of 
what  had  been  already  said  more  fully.  A  writer  of 
the  fifth  century  tells  us  that,  after  the  monks  had 
knelt  in  private  devotion,  they  stood  up  while  the 
officiant  in  words  'collected  the  prayer'.  As  to  the 
idea  that  the  Collect  was  so  called  from  'collecting' 
into  a  prayer  the  teaching  of  the  Epistle  and  the 
Gospel,  Dr.  Bright  says  that  it  is  "purely  imagina- 
tive." Though  at  present  we  find  the  word  'collectio' 
in  older  manuscripts  than  the  word  'collecta\  it  seems 
to  the  present  writer  that  'collecta  from  ^ad  collectani* 
must  be  the  older  form,  and  that  we  may  safely  say 


THE  COLLECTS,  EPISTLES,  AND  GOSPELS    119 

say  that  our  Collects  were  so  called  as  appointed  for 
the  use  of  a  congregation  gathered  together. 

The  Collects  in  our  Prayer  Book  are  for  the  greater 
part  taken  from  three  ancient  Sacramentaries,  or 
liturgical  service-books,  of  the  Western  Church ; 
those  not  so  taken  have  been  framed  on  the  same 
model,  for  which  it  would  seem  that  we  are  indebted 
to  Leo  the  Great,  Bishop  of  Rome  (440-461).  The 
oldest  Sacramentary  bears  his  name;  the  others  are 
called  by  the  names  of  Gelasius  and  of  Gregory  the 
Great,  also  Bishops  of  Rome  (492-496  and  590- 
604).  It  must  be  noted,  however,  that  the  earliest 
known  manuscripts  of  these  documents  date  from 
about  the  years  550,  700,  and  800  respectively,  and 
that  the  only  known  Leonine  manuscript  is  not  com- 
plete. Bearing  this  in  mind,  it  will  be  interesting 
to  see  how  far  back  we  can  trace  the  eighty-six  Com- 
munion Collects  in  our  Book. 

The  Collects  first  found  in  the  Sacramentary  of  St. 
Leo,  as  it  has  reached  us,  are  seven ;  those  for  the 
3rd  Sunday  after  Easter  and  for  the  5th,  9th,  loth, 
12th,  13th,  and  14th  Sundays  after  Trinity. 

The  Collects  first  found  in  the  Sacramentary  of 
St.  Gelasius  are  twenty-one ;  those  for  the  4th  Sun- 
day in  Advent,  the  first  Communion  on  Christmas 
Day,  the  Innocents'  Day,  the  Sunday  before  Easter, 
Good  Friday  (the  second  Collect),  Easter-day,  the  4th 
and  5th  Sundays  after  Easter,  the  Sunday  after 
Ascension,  and  the  ist,  2nd,  6th,  7th,  8th,  nth,  15th, 
i6th,  18th,  19th,  20th,  and  21st  Sundays  after  Trinity. 


120  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

The  Collects  first  found  in  the  Sacramentary  of  St. 
Gregory  are  twenty-nine;  those  for  St.  Stephen's 
Day,  St.  John  Evangelist's,  the  Epiphany,  the  ist, 
2nd,  3rd,  4th,  and  5th  Sundays  after  the  Epiphany, 
Septuagesima,  Sexagesima,  the  2nd,  3rd,  4th,  and 
5th  Sundays  in  Lent,  Good  Friday  (the  first  Collect), 
Ascension-day,  Whitsunday,  Trinity-Sunday,  the 
3rd,  4th,  17th,  22nd,  23rd,  and  24th  Sundays  after 
Trinity,  the  Sunday  next  before  Advent,  the  Conver- 
sion of  St.  Paul,  the  Purification,  the  Annunciation, 
and  the  festival  of  St.  Michael  and  All  Angels. 

The  rest,  twenty-nine  in  number,  were  composed 
expressly  for  the  Anglican  Prayer  Books :  namely,  in 
1549,  those  for  the  ist  and  2nd  Sundays  in  Advent, 
Christmas-day,  the  Circumcision,  Quinquagesima, 
Ash-Wednesday,  the  1st  Sunday  in  Lent,  Good 
Friday  (the  third  Collect),  the  first  Communion  on 
Easter-day  (apparently),  the  ist  and  2nd  Sundays 
after  Easter,  and  all  the  Saints'  Days  not  already 
mentioned,  except  St.  Andrew's;  in  1552,  that  for  St. 
Andrew's  Day;  in  1662,  those  for  the  3rd  Sunday  in 
Advent,  the  6th  Sunday  after  the  Epiphany,  and 
Easter-even  —  this  latter  based  on  the  Collect  in  the 
Scottish  Prayer  Book  of  1636  (the  Collect  for  St.  Ste- 
phen's Day  was  also  enlarged  at  this  time);  in  1886,  in 
the  American  Book,  that  for  the  Transfiguration.^ 


'  Besides  these  Communion  Collects,  the  second  and  third 
Collects  at  Morning  and  Evening  Prayer,  with  'Assist  us 
mercifully',  at  the  end  of  the  Communion  Service,  and  'O 
Lord,  we  beseech  thee',  in  the  Penitential  Office,  and  also  the 


THE  COLLECTS,  EPISTLES,  AND  GOSPELS     121 

The  reason  why  so  many  of  the  Saints'  Day 
Collects  were  newly  written  for  the  Book  of  1549 
was  that  the  old  Collects  contained  reference  to  the 
merits  or  the  intercession  of  the  Saints.  The  work 
of  Cranmer  in  translating  the  Collects  is  worthy  of 
careful  study.  A  few  of  them  he  put  into  English 
almost  word  for  word  from  the  Latin,  as,  for  in- 
stance, that  for  the  twenty-first  Sunday  after 
Trinity;  but  in  more  he  expanded  the  somewhat 
stem  idiom  of  the  Latin  into  the  freedom  of  good 
English  rhetoric,  as  in  that  of  the  second  Sunday  in 
Lent,  a  literal  translation  of  which  would  be:  "O 
God,  who  seest  that  we  are  bereft  of  strength ;  Guard 
us  inwardly  and  outwardly;  that  we  may  be  fortified 
in  body  against  all  adversities,  and  cleansed  in  mind 
from  evil  thoughts;  through  our  Lord."  ' 

The  Epistles  and  Gospels  which  we  use'  have  come 
to  us,  with  but  few  exceptions,  from  the  'Comes', 


Collect  (or  Prayer)  for  the  Clergy  and  People,  are  traced  to  the 
Gelasian  Sacramentary  ;  the  Collect  for  Purity  at  the  beginning 
of  the  Communion  Office,  and  the  Collects  beginning  '  We 
humbly  beseech  thee', '  Direct  us,  O  Lord',  and  '  O  God,  whose 
nature  and  property',  to  the  Gregorian ;  while  the  second, 
fourth,  and  fifth  at  the  end  of  the  Communion  Service,  and  the 
Collect  for  the  Communion  of  the  Sick  were  composed  for  the 
Prayer  Book  of  1549. 

'From  Dr.  Bright's  essay  on  the  Collects  in  the  S.  P.  C.  K- 
Commentary,  to  which  reference  should  be  made  for  a  thor- 
ough and  interesting  discussion  of  the  Collects  as  translations 
and  paraphrases. 

■*  Since  1662,  they  have  been  read  from  the  (so  called) 
Authorized  Version  of  161 1. 


1 22  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  VER 

'Companion',  'Hand-book',  which  we  can  trace 
back  to  an  early  day;  it  has  been  attributed  to  St. 
Jerome  (who  died  in  the  year  420).  It  contained  the 
Epistles  and  Gospels  for  the  Sundays  and  chief  fes- 
tivals throughout  the  year,  and  perhaps  originally 
Prophecies  also  —  that  is  to  say,  readings  from  the 
Old  Testament.  Now,  the  fact  that  in  the  Eastern 
Church  both  the  Epistles  and  the  Gospels  are 
selected  in  order  from  the  books  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment, and  the  further  fact  that  the  same  passages  (or 
'pericopes')  of  the  New  Testament  are  found  in  the 
'Comes'  as  the  Epistles  and  Gospels  of  the  Western 
Church,  seem  to  carry  back  the  'Comes'  to  an  early 
time;  and  it  may  well  be  that  it  is  the  order  of  the 
readings  and  not  the  selection  of  the  readings  them- 
selves which  we  may  attribute  to  St.  Jerome.  Our 
Epistles  show  that  in  some  places  the  order  was  not 
disturbed ;  thus,  those  for  the  first  four  Sundays 
after  the  Epiphany  are  absolutely  consecutive,  and 
those  for  the  si.xth  to  the  twenty-fourth  Sundays 
after  Trinity  (inclusive),  wnth  one  exception,  are 
from  St.  Paul's  Epistles  in  the  order  in  which  they 
stand  in  the  New  Testament. 

The  use  in  our  Book  goes  back,  then,  through  the 
English  and  the  Sarum,  to  the  'Comes',  with  but  few 
variations  except  sometimes  in  the  length  of  the  pas- 
sages designated.  This  is  one  of  the  particulars  in 
which  England  has  a  use  more  ancient  than  Rome ; 
for  at  some  date,  which  cannot  now  be  determined, 
the    Roman   Church    introduced    variations  into  the 


THE  COLLECTS,  EPISTLES,  AND  GOSPELS    123 


scheme  of  Epistles  and  Gospels  which  she  must  have 
had  in  early  days.  We  can  easily  trace  what  hap- 
pened (or  was  done)  in  the  Sundays  after  Trinity,  or, 
as  Rome  calls  them,  the  Sundays  after  Pentecost. 
The  first  Sunday  after  Trinity  lost  its  proper  Gos- 
pel —  the  parable  of  the  Rich  Man  and  Lazarus,  so 
well  chosen  to  suit  the  Epistle  —  and  borrowed  that 
of  the  fourth  Sunday  after  Trinity;  into  the  place  of 
this  was  drawn  back  the  Gospel  of  the  fifth  Sunday, 
and  so  on;  so  that  for  the  rest  of  the  season  the 
Roman  Gospels  are  one  Sunday  out  of  the  way.  But 
in  the  English  use  the  ancient  order  remains. 

In  the  former  half  of  the  Christian  year,  from  Ad- 
vent to  Trinity  —  which  brings  before  us  the  succes- 
sive events  or  lessons  of  the  Lord's  life  —  the  Sunday 
Gospels  contain  the  special  teaching,  and  the  Epis- 
tles are  chosen  to  illustrate  and  emphasize  that  teach- 
ing, even  in  the  four  Sundays  after  the  Epiphany  on 
which,  as  already  noted,  they  are  consecutive.  The 
choice  of  Gospels  for  the  Sundays  after  the  Epiph- 
any shows  a  thoughtful  selection  of  readings  to 
illustrate  the  several  Epiphanies  of  the  incarnate 
Christ:  first,  in  His  home-life;  second,  in  the  be- 
ginning of  His  'signs';  third,  in  His  power  over 
diseases  of  the  body;  fourth,  in  His  power  over  the 
world  of  nature  and  of  the  mind;  fifth,  in  the  history 
of  the  Church;  sixth,  in  the  great  consummation. 
In  the  latter  half  of  the  year,  on  the  Sundays  after 
Trinity,  it  is  the  Apostles  who  are  teaching  and  the 
Lord  who  "confirms  their  word"  by  His  signs  and 


]  24  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 

His  lessons  of  truth.  After  a  few  readings  from  the 
general  Epistles  of  St.  John  and  St.  Peter  and  one 
(on  the  fourth  Sunday)  from  St.  Paul,  we  have  that 
long  range  of  selection  from  St.  Paul's  Epistles  in 
their  New  Testament  order,  with  one  exception  on 
the  eighteenth  Sunday,  to  which  attention  has  been 
already  called.  And  if  there  is  need  of  supplying  two 
Sundays  at  the  end  of  the  year,  the  Epistle  for  the 
fifth  Sunday  after  the  Epiphany,  taken  for  the  first 
vacant  Sunday,  carries  on  the  order  one  step  further. 

The  connection  of  Epistle  with  Gospel  and  of  both 
with  the  Collect  on  the  several  Sundays  is  worth 
careful  study;  it  is  illustrated  in  Bishop  Coxe's 
"Thoughts  on  the  Services"  and  Bishop  Doane's 
"Mosaics". 

In  the  notes  on  the  Calendar  (page  6i),  attention 
has  been  called  to  the  fact  that,  as  far  as  dates  are 
concerned,  the  part  of  the  year  from  Advent  to  the 
eve  of  Septuagesima  is  regulated  by  Christmas  or 
Epiphany,  which  is  kept  by  the  Roman  Calendar, 
and  the  part  from  Septuagesima  to  the  eve  of  Advent 
is  regulated  by  Easter,  the  date  of  which  is  deter- 
mined by  the  Jewish  or  lunar  Calendar.  The 
Epiphany  is  older  in  observance  than  Christmas;  in 
the  East  it  is  called  the  Epiphanies  (in  the  plural), 
and  while  it  is  primarily  the  festival  of  the  Bap- 
tism —  the  date  of  which  it  may  well  preserve  as  the 
6th  day  of  January  —  it  also  commemorates  the 
Nativity  and  the  visit  of  the  Wise  Men;  it  is  for  the 
oriental  Christians   a   greater  day   than   Christmas. 


THE  COLLECTS,  EPISTLES,  AND  GOSPELS    125 

The  first  writer,  as  far  as  we  know,  who  placed  the 
date  of  the  Nativity  on  the  25th  of  December  was 
Hippolytus  of  Rome,  about  the  year  220;  but  the 
testimony  of  St.  Chrysostom,  soon  to  be  cited,  and 
perhaps  the  testimony  of  Tertullian,  give  us  reason 
to  think  that  its  observance  dates  from  an  earlier 
time.  It  was  introduced  into  the  East  a  century 
and  a  half  later;  we  have  the  sermon  in  which  on 
Christmas,  probably  in  the  year  386,  St.  Chrysostom 
commended  it  to  the  Christians  of  Antioch  as  an 
observance  not  ten  years  old  indeed  among  them, 
but  kept  at  Rome,  where  men  had  access  to  the 
archives,  from  the  beginning  and  by  old  tradition.* 
The  name  'Christmas'  (the  special  'mass'  or  'service' 
of  Christ)  can  be  traced  back  to  the  year  1123;  it 
displaced  in  our  language  the  name  'yule',  appar- 
ently a  word  of  merriment,  and  perhaps  connected 
with  'jolly'.  The  nations  Christianized  by  Latin- 
speaking  missionaries  call  the  feast  by  words  such 
as  the  French  'Noel',  derived  from  ' natalis\  meaning 
'dies  natalis  Domini\  'the  Lord's  birthday'.  The 
time  of  preparation  for  it  is  'Advent',  the  name 
of  which  explains  itself.  In  the  Roman  use  it 
includes  four  Sundays;  in  the  Milanese  (Ambro- 
sian)   and  Mozarabic,   it  has  six,   beginning  on  the 


*  None  of  the  chronologers  seems  to  note  that  at  the  time  of 
our  Lord's  birth  the  solstice  occurred  on  the  25th  of  Decem- 
ber;  the  error  in  the  Julian  Calendar  accumulated  between 
Caesar's  reform  and  the  Council  of  Nice  —  three  days  in  400 
years  —  has  never  been  corrected. 


1 26  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

Sunday  after  St.  Martin's  Day  (November  ii);  in 
the  'Comes',  five,  one  being  our  'vSunday  next  before 
Advent'. 

St.  Stephen's  is  the  earliest  recorded  Saint's  day; 
St.  John  Evangelist  and  the  Innocents  naturally 
stand  with  him  close  to  Christ.  The  old  English 
name  of  the  Innocents'  Day  is  'Childermas'.  The 
festivals  of  the  Circumcision,  the  Purification 
('Candlemas'),  the  Annunciation  ('Lady  Day',  i.e., 
'Our  Lady's  Day')  and  the  Nativity  of  St.  John 
Baptist,  take  their  dates  from  Christmas. 

'Lent'  (a  word  first  found  about  1275)  is  a  short- 
ened form  of  the  substantive  'lenten'  (first  found 
about  1000),  and  means  'spring'.  It  appears  to  be 
of  the  same  stem  as  'long',  'length',  and  to  have 
reference  to  the  lengthening  of  the  days  at  that  time 
of  the  year.  The  fast  before  Easter  was  at  first  of 
short  duration  and  very  rigid,  in  some  cases  of  forty 
hours ;  next,  it  included  the  week-days  of  six  weeks ; 
then,  in  the  seventh  century,  four  days  being  pre- 
fixed, it  became  our  Lent  of  forty  week-days.  In 
_.  Milan  Lent  still  begins  on  the  eve  of  the  first 
Kr  Sunday;  and  with  us  the  Collect  for  that  Sunday 
makes  mention  of  fasting  as  if  it  were  then  about  to 
begin.  The  difference  between  Latin  and  English 
observances  is  shown  by  the  contrast  between  the 
'Carnival'  of  the  former,  and  the  'Shrove-Tues- 
day' — that  is  'shrift-Tuesday',  'confession-Tuesday' 
—  of  the  latter.  Ash-Wednesday,  ' caput  jejimii\ 
'the  head  of  the   fast',    takes   its   name,    as  is   well 


>**N, 


THE  COLLECTS,  EPISTLES,  AND  GOSPELS    Ml 

known,  from  the  Biblical  custom  of  sprinkling  ashes 
upon  the  head  in  token  of  mourning. 

The  fourth  Sunday  in  Lent  is  Refreshment  or 
Refection  Sunday,  from  the  Gospel,  or  Mothering 
Sunday,  from  the  <:ustom  of  visiting  the  mother 
church  or  the  mother's  home.  The  fifth  Sunday 
in  Lent  is  Passion  Sunday,  as  the  services  begin  to 
look  forward  to  the  Passion;  but  Passion  Week  gen- 
erally means,  in  older  writers  at  least.  Holy  Week  or 
the  week  next  before  Easter.  The  Sunday  before 
Easter  is  Palm  Sunday,  though  until  the  last  revis- 
ions of  the  tables  of  Lessons  there  was  in  the  re- 
formed Anglican  services  no  mention  of  the  Lord's 
entry  into  Jerusalem.  It  should  be  noted  that  in  the 
Gospels  for  the  first  six  days  of  Holy  Week,  with  the 
second  morning  Lessons  for  the  Sunday  and  Good 
Friday,  there  is  brought  before  us  the  full  record  of 
the  Passion  as  written  by  the  four  Evangelists. 
Thursday  before  Easter  was  known  as  early  as  St. 
Augustine's  time  as  the  'day  of  the  Lord's  Supper' ; 
the  English  name  of  'Maundy'  Thursday,  dating 
from  about  1300,  meant  originally  the  washing  of  the 
feet  of  the  poor  in  obedience  to  the  Lord's  'new 
commandment',  ^ mandatum  novum',  the  day  being 
called  'dies  mandati\  On  Good  Friday  we  have 
three  Collects,  a  survival  of  the  ancient  solemn 
prayers  of  intercession  on  that  day.  In  the  first 
Collect,  we  commemorate  the  suffering  and  victorious 
Christ;  in  the  second,  we  pray  for  the  Church;  and 
in  the  third,  we  pray  that  God  will  'fetch  home'  (i) 


1 28  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 

His  ancient  people  Israel,  who  worship  Him  within 
the  lines  of  a  special  covenant,  but  do  not  know  the 
Messiah  who  has  come;  (2)  the  'Turks'  or  Mohamme- 
dans, who  worship  one  God  and  acknowledge  Christ, 
but  profess  higher  allegiance  to  a  later  'Prophet' ;  (3) 
Infidels,  that  is  to  say  unbelievers,  the  heathen  who 
do  not  know  the  one  true  God;  and  (4)  Heretics,  a 
word  which  historically  can  mean  here  only  the 
separated  bodies  of  Christians  in  the  East,  who  for 
reasons  involving  no  personal  blame  on  their  part  are 
formally  outside  the  Catholic  Church.  The  name 
'Good  Friday'  is  distinctly  English  and  Flemish. 
Easter-even  has  been  from  of  old  a  stated  time  for 
the  baptism  of  adults. 

Easter,  as  the  Venerable  Bede  tells  us,  takes  its 
English  appellation  from  'Eostre'  or  'Eastre',  the 
name  of  a  goddess  whose  festival  was  celebrated  at 
the  vernal  equinox;  her  name,  derived  from  'east', 
shows  that  she  was  the  goddess  of  the  dawn  or  the 
sun-rising.  The  word  first  occurs  as  used  by  King 
Alfred  about  the  year  890.  In  most  other  languages 
the  name  of  the  festival  is  from  the  Hebrew  'pesach' 
('passover')  through  the  Greek  Trdaxa,  which,  by 
the  way,  has  no  etymological  connection  with  the 
verb  Trda'xw:'     The  feast  has  been  observed  from  the 


*The  old  proaunciation  of  the  name  of  Queen  Esther  was 
the  same  as  of  the  festival  Easter,  a  fact  which  has  led  to  some 
curious  misunderstandings.  The  writer  has  seen  in  an  old 
record  the  entry  of  a  service  on  '  Esther-day  '. 


THE  COLLECTS,  EPISTLES,  AND  GOSPELS    129 

earliest  times.  There  is  a  possible  allusion  to  it  in 
I  Corinthians  v.  7,  compared  with  xvi.  8.  St.  Poly- 
carp,  who  was  martyred  in  the  year  155,  is  reported 
to  have  attributed  to  St.  John  himself  the  custom  by 
which  it  was  kept  in  proconsular  Asia ;  and  at  Rome 
the  observance  can  be  traced  back  to  about  the  year 
120.  The  rules  for  the  determination  of  Easter  and 
the  feasts  dependent  upon  it  have  been  considered  in 
the  discussion  of  the  Calendar. 

The  whole  period  of  fifty  days  from  Easter  to 
Whitsunday  was  in  the  early  times  considered  one 
continuous  festival;  and  the  Council  of  Nice  (325), 
following  more  ancient  custom,  forbade  kneeling  in 
worship  during  that  time,  as  on  all  Lord's  Days. 
The  name  'Pentecost',  rreimiKoa-Trj^  though  really  an 
ordinal  and  meaning  'the  fiftieth  [day]',  was  applied 
to  the  period  as  well  as  to  the  high  festival  on  which 
it  closed;  its  earliest  occurrence  in  the  latter  sense 
is  in  the  year  305.  There  seems  to  be  no  room  for 
reasonable  doubt  that  the  Coming  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  'the  Pentecostal  Gift',  was  on  Sunday,  seven 
weeks  after  Easter;  but  that  it  was  parallel  to  the 
giving  of  the  Law  at  Sinai,  and  that  this  event  was 
seven  weeks  after  the  Exodus,  seems  to  rest  on  late 
traditions.  The  word  'Pentecost'  has  passed  into 
Christian  use  outside  of  England  and  some  of  the 
northern  nations  of  Europe;  but  'Whitsunday'  has 
been  the  English  name  from  at  least  the  year  1050. 
The  New  English  Dictionary  has  not  yet  (1912) 
reached   the   letter   W;   but   Professor    Skeat's    re- 


130  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 

searches  have  made  it  certain  that  the  word  is  really 
'White  Sunday',  early  shortened  into  'Whit-Sunday' 
and  then  by  a  misunderstanding  sometimes  called 
'Wit-Sunday',  that  is  'Wisdom-Sunday',  with  refer- 
ence to  the  gift  of  the  Spirit. 

But  why  it  was  called  'White  Sunday'  is  not  so 
clear.  Probably  the  right  explanation  is  seen  in  the 
fact  that  Eastertide  and  Whitsuntide  were  the  great 
seasons  for  adult  baptism ;  in  the  south  of  Europe, 
Easter  was  the  time  specially  chosen,  and  the  white 
robes  of  the  candidates  gave  to  the  first  Sunday  after 
Easter  the  naYne  of  'Dominica  in  albis\  that  is  to  say, 
'/«  albis  depositis\  as  the  robes  were  laid  aside  on 
that  day.  But  in  the  northern  countries  the  later  day 
was  naturally  preferred,  and  the  Sunday  of  the  white 
robes,  Pentecost,  was  the  White  Sunday.  It  is  in- 
teresting to  note  that  the  word  passed  at  a  very  early 
day  from  English  to  Icelandic,  and  that  Skeat  quotes 
this  evidence  from  an  Icelandic  dictionary.  Dr. 
Neale's  ingenious  argument  that  the  word  is 
'Whitsun-day'  and  that  'whitsun'  is  the  German 
'pfingsten'  (which  is  confessedly  from  the  Greek 
7r€rT7;«o<7T77,i* fiftieth'),  is  quite  impossible;  the  Anglo- 
Saxon  ' hwita  sttnnan^  cannot  be  a  derivation  or  a 
corruption  of  the  German  'pfingsten',  of  which  the 
earlier  form  is  'pfingeste'.  The  correct  spelling, 
therefore,  is  'Whit  Sunday' ;  the  best  Prayer  Book 
use  is  for  'Whitsunday' ;  modern  use  at  the  Oxford 
Press  and  the  King's  Printers,  and  Dr.  Coit's  au- 
thority  in   this   country   from    1845    to    1871,    have 


THE  COLLECTS,  EPISTLES,  AND  GOSPELS   131 

given  'Whit-sunday' ;  Dr.  Neale's  influence  gave 
us  'Whitsun-day'  from  1871  to  1892;  now  our  Book 
reads,  as  do  the  English  Standard  and  the  Cam- 
bridge Press  and  as  did  our  Standards  before  1845, 
'Whitsunday'.  'Whitsun-week'  indeed  goes  back  to 
1549,  before  the  derivation  from  'pfingsten'  was 
dreamt  of;  it  is  an  abbreviation  of  'Whitsunday- 
week'  ;  'Whit-Monday'  and  *Whit-Tuesday'  are 
common  forms.  The  octave  of  Whitsunday  was 
from  an  early  time  observed  in  honor  of  the  Holy 
Trinity;  but  it  was  in  England  that  it  came  first  to 
be  observed  as  'Trinity-Sunday'  and  to  attain  the 
dignity  of  a  separate  festival,  giving  its  name  to  all 
the  following  Sundays  of  the  year.  The  special 
observance  is  attributed  to  St.  Thomas  h  Becket, 
about  1 165;  but  it  would  appear  to  have  been  older 
by  at  least  a  century. 

When,  including  the  Sunday  next  before  Advent, 
there  are  twenty-six  Sundays  after  Trinity,  the  ser- 
vice for  the  sixth  Sunday  after  the  Epiphany  is  best 
brought  in  to  the  vacant  place;  when  there  are 
twenty-seven,  the  services  for  the  fifth  and  sixth 
Sundays  after  the  Epiphany  are  most  suitably  used. 
Note  has  been  made  on  an  earlier  page  of  the  Ember- 
days  and  the  Rogation-days. 

The  reasons  for  assigning  the  festivals  of  the 
Apostles  to  the  days  on  which  they  stand  in  the 
Calendar  are  for  the  most  part  now  unknown.  St. 
Andrew's  Day,  observed  from  at  least  the  fourth  cen- 


1 32  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 

tury,  seems  to  be  the  only  festival  of  an  Apostle 
claiming  to  be  really  on  the  anniversary  of  his  death. 
St.  Peter's  Day,  still  in  the  Roman  use  St.  Peter  and 
St.  Paul's  Day,  is  the  day  on  which  in  the  year  258 
the  supposed  remains  of  the  two  Apostles  were 
removed  to  a  shrine  in  the  place  called  'At  the  Cata- 
combs'. St.  Philip  and  St.  James's  Day  commemo- 
rates the  dedication  of  a  church  at  Rome  in  honor  of 
those  Apostles  on  the  first  day  of  May  in  or  about 
the  year  561.  The  Conversion  of  St.  Paul  seems  to 
have  been  assigned  to  the  Epiphany  season  by 
reason  of  his  being  the  'Apostle  of  the  Gentiles'. 
"The  other  festivals  of  Apostles,"  says  Bishop  John 
Wordsworth,  "differ  so  much  in  the  East  and  the 
West  that,  although  at  present  we  have  no  explanation 
of  the  dates  to  offer,  we  may  consider  them  days  of 
dedication  of  churches  or  of  translation  of  relics 
rather  than  actually  traditional  days  of  their  mar- 
tyrdom." 

The  Festival  of  the  Transfiguration  was  first 
formally  assigned  in  the  West  to  the  sixth  day  of 
August  in  1457.  It  cannot  be  the  actual  day  of  the 
Transfiguration;  but  it  was  chosen  as  commemo- 
rating a  special  act  of  deliverance  granted  to  the 
Christians  under  Mohammedan  oppression.  Michael- 
mas is  the  day  of  the  dedication  of  a  church  at 
Rome  to  St.  Michael  the  Archangel. 

All  Saints'  Day  ('All  Hallows')  dates  from  about 
the  year  740.  It  is  said  that  it  was  originally  ap- 
pointed on  another  day,  about  610,  to  celebrate  the 


THE  COLLECTS,  EPISTLES,  AND  GOSPELS    133 

dedication  of  the  Roman  Pantheon  as  a  Christian 
church.  The  Anglican  Church  on  this  day  com- 
memorates all  who  have  departed  this  life  in  the 
faith  and  fear  of  God  and  await  a  joyful  resurrec- 
tion ;  the  Roman  communion  commemorates  on  the 
first  day  of  November  the  canonized  saints  who  are 
believed  to  be  with  Christ  in  heaven,  and  has  an- 
other festival,  All  Souls'  Day,  on  the  second  of 
November  in  memory  of  the  souls  in  purgatory,  for 
which  she  drapes  her  altars  in  black. 

Coincidence  of  Holy-Days 

Neither  the  English  Prayer  Book  nor  our  own 
gives  any  rule  as  to  the  service  to  be  used  when  a 
Holy-day  'concurs'  with  another  Holy-day  or  a  Sun- 
day ;  that  is  to  say,  when  two  Collects,  Epistles,  and 
Gospels  and  two  sets  of  Lessons  are  appointed  under 
different  rules  for  the  same  day.  And  neither  Book 
makes  any  provision  for  postponing  the  observance 
of  a  Holy-day  until  some  later  free  day;  as  for  in- 
stance, in  the  case  of  the  Annunciation  falling  in 
Holy  Week,  the  ancient  use  was  to  defer  the  obser- 
vance of  that  feast  until  a  week  from  Easter-Monday. 

The  following  table  was  approved  by  the  Convoca- 
tion of  Canterbury  in  1879,  and  is  generally  accepted 
in  practice  among  us.  It  places  in  two  columns 
those  Feasts  and  Holy-days  which  can  concur,  the 
name  of  the  'superior'  day  being  placed  in  the  fiirst 
column  or  that  at  the  left  hand,  and  that  of  the 
'inferior'  day    in    the  second  column  or  that  at  the 


134 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 


right  hand;  the  intention  being  that  in  any  case  of 
'concurrence'  the  service  appointed  for  the  day  in 
the  left-hand  column  shall  be  said,  with  the  insertion 
of  the  Collect  for  the  day  in  the  right-hand  column 
after  the  other  appointed  Collect,  thus  making  a 
'commemoration'  of  the  other  day. 

The  Service  for 
ist  Sunday  in  Advent 
4  th  Sunday  in  Advent 


With  the  Colled  for 
St.  Andrew 
St.  Thomas 


St.  Stephen,  .St.  John 

Evangelist, 
The  Innocents 

Conversion  of  St.  Paul 


The  Purification 

Septuagesima,  Sexagesima 

Sexagesima,  Quinqua- 
gesima,  Ash- Wednes- 
day, ist,  ad,  3d  Stmdays 
in  Lent 

Annunciation 

Sunday  before  Easter  to 
Tuesday  in  Easter- 
week,  inclu.sive 

Easter-day,  Monday  and 
Tuesday  in  Easter- 
week,  ist  Sunday 
after  Easter 

ist  Sunday  after  Easter 

St.  Mark,  St.  Philip  and 
St.  James 


1 

\  Sunday  after  Christmas 

i 

3d  Sunday  after  Epiphany 

f  4th  Sunday  after  Epiphany, 
i  Septuagesima,  Sexagesima, 
[  Quinquagesinia 

Conversion  of  St.  Paul 


St.  Matthias 


/  3d,  4th,  5th  Sundays  in 
<       Lent 

1 

\-  Annunciation 

J 


St.  Mark 


St.  Philip  and  St.  James 

■J  2d,  3d,  4th,  5th  Sundays 
)       after  Easter 


THE  COLLECTS,  EPISTLES,  AND  GOSPELS    135 

The  Service  for  With  the  Collect  for 

Ascension-day  St.  Philip  and  St.  James 

Whitsunday,  Monday  and   ") 
Tuesday  in  Whitsun-         \  St.  Barnabas 
week,  Trinity  Sunday       J 

St.  Barnabas  and  all  other  ] 
Holy-days  to  All  Saints'    \  Sundays  after  Trinity 
Day,  inclusive  J 

In  proposing  this  table,  it  was  added  that  if  there 
were  'additional'  services  the  service  appointed  for 
the  day  in  the  right-hand  column  might  be  said  with 
the  'commemoration'  of  the  other,  except  on  Good 
Friday,  Easter-day,  Ascension-day,  Whitsunday, 
and  Trinity-Sunday.  It  was  intended  that  the  word 
'service'  should  include  the  Lessons,  except  that  a 
lesson  from  the  Apocrypha  might  at  any  time  give 
place  to  one  from  Canonical  Scripture.  The  table 
with  its  notes  possesses  no  canonical  or  rubrical  au- 
thority; but  it  represents  good  authority  of  custom. 

It  should  be  noted  that  when  Christmas  falls  on 
Sunday,  the  next  Sunday  is  the  Circumcision  and 
there  is  no  Sunday  after  Christmas,  the  Christmas 
Collect  ceasing  on  'New  Year's  Eve' ;  and  that 
liturgically  there  is  never  a  second  Sunday  after 
Christmas,  for  if  January  2,  3,  4,  or  5  falls  on 
Sunday,  the  Collect,  Epistle,  and  Gospel  to  be 
read  are  those  for  the  Circumcision ;  such  a  Sunday, 
however,  has  proper  Lessons  provided  and  for  that 
purpose  is  called  the  second  Sunday  after  Christ- 
mas.    When    the    Circumcision    or    the    Epiphany 


1 36  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 

falls  upon  Sunday,  its  service  is  the  only  one  for 
that  Sunday. 

When  Thanksgiving-day,  by  custom  the  last 
Thursday  in  November,  falls  on  St.  Andrew's  Day, 
it  seems  most  proper  (if  there  is  but  one  service),  to 
use  both  Collects  with  the  Epistle  and  Gospel  for  St. 
Andrew's  Day  and  the  rest  of  the  Thanksgiving-day 
service. 

Perhaps  it  should  be  added  that  the  Collect,  Epistle, 
and  Gospel  for  a  week-day  not  otherwise  provided  for 
are  always  that  of  the  preceding  Sunday,  even  when 
the  service  of  the  Sunday  has  yielded  to  that  of  a 
Holy-day;  and  that  when  a  Holy-day  falls  on  a  week- 
day, the  Collect  of  the  preceding  Sunday  is  not  to  be 
said  after  its  Collect.  The  rubrics  provide  for  the 
services  to  be  used  on  the  days  between  the  Inno- 
cents' Day,  the  Epiphany,  Ash-Wednesday,  Ascen- 
sion-day, and  the  following  Sundays  respectively. 

The  Collect  for  each  Sunday  or  Holy-day  is 
always  to  be  said  at  both  Morning  and  Evening 
Prayer  on  that  day,  even  when  it  immediately  pre- 
cedes another  Feast-day  or  a  Sunday;  but  at  Evening 
Prayer  the  Collect  for  that  Feast-day  or  Sun- 
day may  be  also  said.  On  Eves,  not  being  them- 
selves Sundays  or  other  Feasts,  one  Collect  only 
should  be  said.  Ash-Wednesday,  Good  Friday,  and 
Easter-even  are  Holy-days  but  not  Feasts;  their 
Collects  are  not  said  at  Evening  Prayer  of  the  pre- 
ceding days. 


THE  COLLECTS,  EPISTLES,  AND  GOSPELS    137 

BIBLIOGRAPHY  FOR  THE  CHRISTIAN  YEAR 

Works  on  the  whole  Prayer  Book,  as  before. 

Wordsworth  (Bishop  John),  The  Ministry  of  Grace;  Chap- 
ters vi,  vii,  viii.     Scholarly  and  valuable. 

PuUan  (Leighton),  The  Christian  Tradition  (in  Oxford 
Library  of  Practical  Theology) ;  Chapter  vi,  Festivals  of  the 
Church.    Scholarly  and  valuable. 

Articles  in  Dictionary  of  Christian  Antiquities  (see  article  on 
'Lectionary'  for  the  'Comes')  and  in  [Roman]  Catholic  En- 
cyclopaedia ;  also  article  on  *  Festivals  and  Fasts,  Christian ',  in 
Enclycopaedia  of  Religion  and  Ethics. 

The  New  English  Dictionary,  and  Skeat's  Etymological  Dic- 
tionary. 

Interesting  notes  on  Church  Festivals  will  be  found  in  Brady 
(John),  Clavis  Calendaria ;  Hone  (William),  Every  Day  Book; 
and  Neale  (John  Mason),  Church  Festivals  and  their  House- 
hold Words  in  Essays  on  Liturgiology.  Wheatly  on  the 
Prayer  Book  has  much  interesting  material. 

Full  comparative  tables  of  Calendars,  with  notes  on  all  the 
black-letter  days  of  the  English  Calendar,  will  be  found  in 
Blunt's  Annotated  Book  of  Common  Prayer. 


VII. 

THE  HOLY  COMMUNION— I. 

History  of  the  Office 

WE  learn  from  the  three  Synoptic  Gospels  and 
from  St.  Paul's  First  Epistle  to  the  Corin- 
thians how  it  was  that  the  Lord  Jesus,  the  same  night 
in  which  He  was  betrayed,  in  connection  with  the 
sacrifice  and  feast  of  the  Passover,  instituted  the 
Sacrament  of  His  Body  and  Blood.  All  four  of  the 
writers  tell  us  the  words  with  which  He  gave  His 
disciples  the  bread  and  the  wine  over  which  He  had 
spoken  in  thanksgiving  and  blessing,  but  none  of 
them  has  preserved  the  words  in  which  He  gave 
thanks  and  blessed.  That  the  Apostles  after  the 
Lord's  Ascension  and  the  Coming  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
observed  the  ordinance,  no  one  doubts;  but  we  can- 
not learn  from  the  New  Testament  much  as  to  the 
manner  in  which  they  did  it,  except  that  they  broke 
the  bread  (Acts  ii.  46;  xx.  7)  and  ate  it,  drinking 
also  from  the  cup  which  had  been  blessed  (i  Cor.  x. 
16-18;  xi.  20-29).  The  whole  service  is  called  in  the 
Acts  'The  Breaking  of  the  Bread',  and  perhaps  by 
St.  Paul  in  the  passage  last  cited  'The  Lord's  Supper', 
though  it  may  be  that  by  this  term  he  means  the 
common  meal  known  as  the  Agape  or  Love-feast 
which  accompanied  the  Sacrament. 


THE  HOL  Y  COMMUNION-  L  1 39 

At  least  from  St.  Augustine's  time  (about  450) 
the  Sacrament  has  been  frequently  called  The  Lord's 
Supper.  Its  most  common  name  in  the  primitive 
Church  was  The  Eucharist,  that  is  to  say,  The 
Giving  of  Thanks,  probably  with  the  distinct  thought 
of  a  blessing  asked  in  a  thanksgiving  (compare  the 
Words  of  the  Institution  in  the  several  Gospels);  but 
we  cannot  affirm  that  the  word  ev')(apLarta  in  any 
place  in  the  New  Testament  means  or  necesarily  im- 
plies the  Sacrament.  In  the  East  both  the  service 
and  the  consecrated  elements  were  and  are  often 
called  'The  Mysteries',  or  'The  Holy  Mysteries' ;  but 
it  must  be  remembered  that  the  word  fixMrr-qpiov 
does  not  mean  something  concealed  or  hard  to  under- 
stand; it  means  a  revealed  truth  (as  in  Ephesians 
iii.  3-6),  or  an  imparted  blessing.  St.  Paul  speaks 
(i  Cor.  X.  16)  of  the  cup  and  the  bread  as  being  each 
a  Communion,  Koivcovla,  that  is  to  say  (most  probably) 
something  of  which  all  the  communicants  partook ;  it 
was  not  until  the  fourth  century  that  the  name  'The 
Communion'  or  'The  Holy  Communion',  strictly  ap- 
plicable to  the  reception,  was  given  to  the  whole 
sacramental  act. 

For  many  years  the  name  most  used  in  the  Roman 
Communion  has  been  that  of  'The  Mass',  in  Latin 
Missa.  It  is  first  found  in  the  last  quarter  of  the 
fourth  century  in  the  Epistles  of  St.  Ambrose  and  the 
Itinerary  of  Silvia.  Of  itself  it  is  an  absolutely 
colorless  word,  being  a  verbal  substantiv^e  derived 
from  mittOy  missus,  as  collecta  is  derived  from  colligo. 


140  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  VER 

collecttis\  and  at  first  meaning  any  religious  service, 
it  came  to  be  commonly  applied  to  the  distinctive 
act  of  worship  of  the  Christian  Church.  It  is  held 
by  most  scholars  that  missa  was  first  a  solemn  di- 
missory  formula  at  the  end  of  the  service,  as  to-day  at 
the  end  of  the  Roman  office  the  priest  says,  "//<?, 
missa  est" ,  and  then  came  to  be  applied  to  the  service 
itself.  One  would  prefer  the  derivation,  for  which, 
however,  there  is  but  slender  evidence,  on  the  anal- 
ogy of  collecta?  The  prayer  ad  collectam,  on  the 
occasion  of  the  assembling  of  the  people,  became 
the  'Collect' ;  .so  the  act  of  worship  ad  missant,  on 
the  occasion  of  the  commission  of  the  people  for 
official  duty,  may  have  become  the  'Mass',  and  the 
word  may  thus  have  served  as  a  translation  of  the 
Greek  word  'Liturgy',  in  its  literal  sense  of  a  public 
service,  of  which  we  must  speak  in  a  moment. 

To  call  the  Holy  Communion  'The  Sacrament'  or 
'The  Blessed  Sacrament',  as  if  there  were  no  other, 
though  the  former  is  in  somewhat  common  use  among 
the  people  and  the  latter  among  devotional  writers, 
unless  it  is  evident  that  the  speaker  is  using  a  rhetor- 
ical licence,  is  hardly  correct ;  and  to  call  the  Com- 
munion Office  a  'Celebration'  (without  adding  such 
words  as  'of  the  Eucharist*  or  'of  the  Holy  Commun- 
ion') is  hardly  reverent." 

The  distinctive  name  of  the  service  used  for  the 


'  See  the  New  English  Dictionary . 

^  The  New  English  Dictionary  gives  no  literary  example  of 
this  use,  but  cites  it  as  modern  colloquial. 


THE  HOL  V  COMMUNION—  I.  141 

Eucharist  is  the  Greek  word  'Liturgy',  XeLTOvpyia, 
or  'the  Divine  Liturgy'.  It  came  to  be  used  in 
English  before  the  year  1600,  and  by  as  careful  a 
scholar  as  Hooker,  for  any  'prescript  form  of  prayer' ; 
but  in  a  formal  treatise  and  in  its  study  the  word 
should  be  kept  to  its  strictly  proper  sense.  Its 
derivation  is  almost  certainly  from  an  adjective  con- 
nected with  the  word  Xao'i,  'people',  from  which  we 
get  our  word  'lay',  and  from  the  noun  epyov,  pepyov, 
which  appears  in  our  language  as  'work'.  It  means 
therefore  'public  service' ;  and  it  was  applied  in 
Athens  to  a  work  for  the  public  which  a  wealthy 
citizen  discharged  at  his  own  expense,  such  as  fitting 
out  a  war  vessel  or  providing  for  the  presentation  of 
a  drama.  From  this  the  Church  applied  it  almost 
in  our  modern  sense  of  'public  service',  for  the 
appointed  order  of  her  great  act  of  worship.  It  is  a 
great  word  with  a  great  history. 

But  the  consideration  of  names  and  words  has 
drawn  us  away  from  the  history  of  the  service. 
There  is  little  to  be  added  from  the  New  Testament, 
except  to  notice  that  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  is 
full  of  what  maybe  called  'eucharistic  allusions','  and 
that  some  such  allusions  may  be  found  elsewhere. 
St.  Paul's  argument  (i  Cor.  xiv.  16)  that  one  praying 
in  the  congregation  should  pray  in  words  that  are 
understood,  in  order  that  the  'plain'  man  may  know 


^The  subject  is  treated  in  an  interesting,  if  exaggerated, 
way  in  J.  E.  Field's  The  Apostolic  Liturgy  and  the  Epistle  to 
the  Hebrews  ;  see  Bibliography. 


1 42  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 

when  to  say  'Amen'  at  the  'thanksgiving',  may 
well  refer  to  the  eucharistic  service,  especially  as  we 
remember  how  great  stress  the  early  Church  laid 
on  this  response  from  the  people.  And  St.  Paul 
towards  the  end  of  his  Epistle  to  the  Romans  (xv. 
15,  16)  uses  words  which  very  soon  had  distinctive- 
ly liturgical  sense,  one  of  them  being  Xeirovpyov  itself, 
and  the  others  lepovpjovvra,  17  irpoa^opd,  and  r^ytaa- 
fxevTj  iv  TTvevfiari  dyio).  We  may  translate  thus : 
"That  I  should  be  a  leader  of  liturgical  worship  [or 
common  service]  for  the  nations,  to  the  end  that  the 
oblation  of  the  nations  may  prove  to  be  acceptable, 
since  it  has  been  sanctified  by  [in]  the  Holy  Spirit." 
And  it  may  not  be  amiss  to  suggest  that  part  of 
the  imagery  of  the  Book  of  Revelation  seems  to  have 
been  based  on  the  worship  of  the  Christian  Church. 
We  pass  on  now  to  the  history  of  that  worship  as 
it  has  led  to  the  forms  of  the  Communion  Office  in 
the  English  Book  and  in  our  own. 

The  earliest  account  of  the  eucharistic  service 
which  has  reached  us  is  contained  in  the  Apology 
for  the  Christians  written  by  Justin  Martyr  (of 
Samaria)  to  the  Emperor  Antoninus  Pius  in  or  about 
the  year  152.*  As  he  describes  it,  the  parts  of  this 
service  "on  the  day  called  Sunday",  when  "all  who 
live  in  cities*br  in  the  country  come  together  to  one 
place",  were  these: — 


*  First  Apology,  chapters  65-67  ;  a  translation  is  in  the  Anle- 
Nicene  Christian  Library. 


THE  HOL  Y  COMMUNION—  I.  143 

1.  The  memoirs  of  the  Apostles  or  the  writings  of 
the  Prophets  are  read,  as  long  as  time  permits. 

2.  The  President  instructs  and  exhorts  to  the  imi- 
tation of  these  good  things. 

3.  All  rise  together  and  offer  prayers. 

4.  We  salute  one  another  with  a  kiss  [and  alms  are 
received  for  the  poor]. 

5.  Bread,  and  wine  mingled  with  water,  are 
brought  to  the  President. 

6.  He  taking  them  gives  praise  and  glory  to  the 
Father  of  the  universe,  through  the  name  of  the  Son 
and  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  offers  prayers  and 
thanksgiving  at  considerable  length,  according  to 
his  ability. 

7.  The  people  assent,  saying  'Amen'. 

8.  They  who  are  called  deacons  distribute  to  the 
congregation  the  elements  which  have  been  blessed 
and  carry  a  portion  to  those  who  are  absent. 

Here  we  see  a  definite  order  of  the  service,  while 
yet  there  is  preserved  to  the  officiating  Bishop  or 
priest,  presumably  speaking  under  divine  or  pro- 
phetic guidance,  freedom  of  utterance  in  prayers  and 
thanksgiving.  That  order  has  never  been  changed, 
in  any  essential  part  of  its  outline.  Every  full  and 
formal  celebration  of  the  Holy  Communion  to  this 
day  is  with  a  service  which  contains  the  reading  of 
New  Testament  Scriptures  (the  'memoirs  of  the 
Apostles'  are  probably  the  Gospels  and  the  'writings 
of  the  Prophets'  the  Epistles),  a  sermon  or  homily, 
prayers,   acts    of    charity,    the  presentation   of   the 


144  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 

appointed  elements,  the  blessing  of  the  elements  by 
the  celebrant  with  thanksgiving  and  prayer,  the 
'Amen'  of  the  congregation,  and  the  communion  in 
the  elements  which  have  been  consecrated.  The  his- 
tory of  the  service  is  the  history  of  its  modifications 
along  these  lines,  which  had  evidently  been  fixed 
so  early  that  in  a  half  century  after  the  death 
of  St.  John  they  were  the  e.stablished  rule  of  the 
Church. 

The  earliest  extant  liturgy  completely  written  out 
is  that  known  as  the  Clementine,  and  found  in  the 
so-called  'Apostolic  Constitutions',  of  about  the  year 
350;''  it  was  evidently  composed  as  an  ideal  form  of 
service,  some  of  the  prayers  being  quite  long,  and 
was  probably  never  used ;  but  it  shows  the  order  and 
mould  of  the  service  at  that  time  in  the  East.  Its 
teaching  as  to  these  matters  is  confirmed  by  the 
Catechetical  Lectures  of  Cyril,  Bishop  of  Jerusalem,* 
delivered  in  the  year  347,  in  which  he  explains  in  a 
devotional  way  the  parts  of  the  service  as  they  follow 
in  order.  Without  doubt  the  liturgies  still  in  use  in 
the  Orthodox  Eastern  Church  — best  known  to  us  as 
the  Churches  of  Greece  and  Russia  ~  go  back  in  all 
their  essential  parts  and  in  their  order  to  the 
times  of  the  Constitutions  and  of  Cyril,  except  that 
the  Clementine  form  does  not  contain  the  Creed  and 


•Book  VIII,  beginning  ;  translated  in  the  Ante-Nicene  Chris- 
tian Library. 

*  Lectures  xxii,  xxiii ;  translated  in  Nicene  and  PostNicene 
Fathers  \  see  also  Burbidge,  pp.  38  if. 


THE  HOL  Y  COMMUNION—  I.  145 

the  Lord's  Prayer,  probaby  because  in  the  earliest 
days  they  were  not  committed  to  writing  but  were 
supplied — at  least  the  Lord's  Prayer  —  from  memory. 
And  the  fact  that  the  earliest  Latin  liturgies  have  the 
same  outline  and  order  assures  us  that  while  the  wor- 
ship of  the  Church  of  the  West  was  still  in  Greek  it 
was  in  all  essential  points  the  same  as  that  of  the 
Church  of  the  East.  Of  this  more  will  be  said 
presently. 

Holding  in  mind  this  fact  of  the  essential  unity  of 
all  liturgical  service,  we  note  that  we  find,  at  as  early 
a  date  as  a  century  after  that  last  mentioned,  five 
families  of  liturgies,  all  in  general  agreement,  but 
differing  somewhat  in  their  tone,  and  distinguished 
by  the  position  given  to  what  is  called  the  'Great 
Intercession'  (the  'Prayer  for  the  whole  State  of 
Christ's  Church').     They  are  as  follows: — 

1.  The  West  Syrian  (Antioch  and  Jerusalem)  and 
Byzantine  (Ccesarea  and  Constantinople).  Its  pres- 
ent forms  are  the  liturgy  of  St.  James,  used  on  the 
island  of  Zante  on  St.  James's  Day  and  at  Jerusalem 
on  the  last  day  of  the  year,  much  admired  by  the 
Scottish  Churchmen  and  the  English  Non-jurors, 
and  the  Liturgies  of  St.  Basil  and  St.  Chrysostom, 
which  are  used,  the  former  on  special  days  and  the 
latter  on  ordinary  days,  throughout  the  Orthodox 
Church  of  the  East.  These  all  have  the  Great  Inter- 
cession after  the  Invocation  of  the  Holy  Spirit  which 
completes  the  act  of  Consecration. 

2.  The  East  Syrian,  of  Persia  and  Mesopotamia, 


1 46  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  J  ER 

now  used  by  the  Nestorians,  who,  on  account  of 
formal  heresy  dating  from  the  year  431,  are  separated 
from  the  Orthodox  Church.  In  these  the  Great  In- 
tercession precedes  the  Invocation. 

3.  The  Alexandrian  or  Coptic,  used  in  Egypt  and 
Abyssinia  by  the  Monophysites,  whose  separation 
from  the  Orthodox  Church  dates  from  451.  (The 
Greek  Liturgy  of  St.  Mark  is  no  longer  in  use.)  The 
Great  Intercession  in  liturgies  of  this  type  is  con- 
tained in  the  Preface  to  the  Triumphal  Hymn  or 
Tersatutiis. 

4.  The  Gallican  Liturgies,  once  used  in  Gaul, 
Spain,  and  North  Italy,  and  probably  to  some  extent 
in  Britain.  They  have  been  called  Ephesine  or 
Johannine,  but  they  cannot  be  traced  to  Ephesus 
or  to  St.  John,  though  doubtless  of  Eastern  origin. 
These  Liturgies  were  largely  superseded  by  the 
Roman  rite  in  the  time  of  Charlemagne.  Their  sur- 
vival to  our  day  is  probably  in  the  Ambrosian 
Liturgy,  still  used  in  a  modified  form  at  Milan,  and 
certainly  in  the  Mozarabic  Liturgy,  still  used  in  the 
form  given  it  by  Cardinal  Ximenes  (1500)  in  a  few 

•  chapels  in  Toledo.  In  these  the  Great  Intercession 
follows  immediately  upon  the  first  presentation  of 
the  elements  (the  'Offertory'). 

5.  The  Roman  Liturgy,  which  in  its  present  form 
has  a  part  of  the  Great  Intercession  before  and  a 
part  after  Consecration  of  the  Elements,  We 
have  no  example  of  the  early  Liturgy  of  the  Church 
of  Rome.     In  the  form  in  which  it  prevails,  as  almost 


THE  HOL  Y  COMMUNION—  I.  147 

the  only  eucharistic  service  employed  in  the  Roman 
obedience  throughout  the  world,  it  shows  the  influ- 
ence of  Gallican  forms  and  strange  traces  of  confu- 
sion and  duplication  of  parts;  but  it  has  been  prac- 
tically unchanged  since  about  the  year  800.'  The 
special  form  which  it  assumed  in  England,  from  the 
time  of  Osmund,  Bishop  of  Salisbury,  in  1085,  is  that 
known  as  the  Sarum  Use.  The  present  English  Lit- 
urgy belongs  to  the  Roman  (or  Western)  family;  and 
the  general  structure  of  our  own  is  traced  back 
through  the  English  to  the  same  source. 

But  the  English  Office  has  a  connection  with  one  of 
the  other  four  families  of  liturgies,  and  ours  has  in 
its  most  important  part  followed  another  of  those 
families.  The  position  of  the  great  Prayer  for  the 
Church,  in  the  English  Book  since  1549  and  in  our 
own,  following  as  it  does  upon  the  first  offering  of 
the  elements  and  preceding  the  central  part  of  the 
service,  is  distinctly  Gallican;  it  may  have  been 
taken  from  the  Mozarabic  Use,  with  which  Cranmer 
was  certainly  acquainted.  And  in  our  American 
Prayer  Book  the  provision  of  an  explicit  Oblation 
and  explicit  Invocation  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  following 
immediately  upon  the  words  of  the  Institution,  and 
made  an  essential  part  of  the  Prayer  of  Consecration, 
is  due  to  the  conscious  and  almost  immediate  influ- 
ence of  the  Greek  Liturgies.     For  it  was  from  the 


'  As   to   the  Leonine,   Gelasian,    and    Gregorian    Sacramen- 
taries,  see  page  118. 


1 48  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 

Study  of  the  Greek  Liturgies  that  the  English  Non- 
jurors and  Scottish  Churchmen  from  about  the  year 
171 8  placed  the  Oblation  and  the  Invocation  in  their 
Liturgies;  and  Bishop  Seabury,  having  received 
from  them  the  form  of  the  Prayer  of  Consecration  for 
the  service  which  he  set  forth  in  Connecticut  in  1786, 
secured  its  adoption  in  the  Prayer  Book  of  the 
Church  of  the  United  States,  as  has  been  noted 
above." 

Our  Communion  Office,  therefore,  is  of  the  Eastern 
or  Greek  mould  in  its  central  act ;  it  has  the  Great 
Intercession  in  the  Galilean  position;  and  in  other 
matters  it  conforms  to  the  general  outline  of  the 
Western  or  Latin  or  Roman  Liturgy,  while  it  is  in 
no  sense  distinctly  Roman.  This  Roman  outline, 
moreover,  is  broken  in  upon  and  obscured,  both  in 
the  English  Book  and  in  our  own,  by  the  insertion 
of  a  public  form  of  preparation,  beginning  with  the 
Exhortation  and  ending  with  the  Comfortable 
Words,  the  suggestion  of  which  came  from  reformers 
in  Germany.  The  second  and  the  third  of  the  five 
families  of  liturgies  mentioned,  having  been  used  for 
centuries  by  bodies  outside  of  the  communion  of  the 
Catholic  Church  (though  the  services  themselves  are 
not  unorthodox),  have  not  affected  our  service. 

The  following  table  shows  in  parallel  columns 
the  successive  parts  of  the  Greek  Liturgies,  of  the 
Roman  Liturgy  in  its  pre-Reformation  English  form 

®See  p.  22. 


THE  HOL  V  COMMUNION—  /. 


149 


(and  practically  in  its  present  form),  of  the  English 
Liturgy  of  1549,  and  of  the  American  Liturgy.*  A 
few  notes  of  explanation  are  added  below. 


Greek 

Roman  Litur- 

English Litur- 

American 

Liturgies 

gy^  Sarum  Use 

gy  of  1549 

Liturgy 

[Service  of 

Preparation, 

Prothesis] 

including 

Lord's  Prayer 

Lord's  Prayer 

Lord's  Prayer 

and  Collect 

and  Collect 

Deacon's  Lit- 

and Collect 

for  Purity 

for  Purity 

any 

for  Purity 

Introit 

Introit 

Little  En- 

Lord, have 

Lord,  have 

Command- 

trance, with 

mercy 

mercy 

ments,  and 

Book  of  Gos- 

Lord, have 

pels 

mercy 

Gloria  in 

Gloria  in 

excelsis 

excelsis 

Prayer,  Epis- 

Collect, Epis- 

Collect, Epis- 

Collect, Epis- 

tle, and  Gos- 

tle,  and  Gos- 

tle, and  Gos- 

tle,  and  Gos- 

pel 

pel,  with  Grad 
ual,  etc. 

-  pel 

pel 

[Homily] 

Creed 

Creed 

Prayers  for 

Creed 

Homily  or 

Sermon 

Catechumens 

Sermon 

and  for  the 

Faithful 

Great  En- 

Offertory, 

Otfertory, 

Offertory, 

trance  with 

with  presenta- 

•   with  presenta- 

with presenta- 

the elements 

tion  of  ele- 

tion of  alms 

tion  of  alms 

ments 

and  elements 

and  elements 

'  For  the  full  Greek,  Latin,  and  English  forms,  see  the  Bib- 
liography at  the  end  of  this  Chapter. 


15() 


THE  BOOK  OF  CO^MMON  PRA  YER 


Greek 

Roman  Litur- 

English Litur- 

American 

Liturgies 

gy,  Sarum  Use 

gy  of  IS49 

Liturgy 

Creed 

Prayer  for  the 

Church, 
Invitation, 
Confession, 
Absolution, 
Comfortable 

Words 

Salutation 

Salutation 

Salutation 

Lift  up  your 

Lift  up  your 

Lift  up  your 

Lift  up  your 

hearts 

hearts 

hearts 

hearts 

Preface,  Tri- 

Preface, Tri- 

Preface,  Tri- 

Preface,  Tri- 

umphal Hymn    umphal  Hymn 

i    umphal  Hymn 

umphal  Hymn 

Benedictus 

Benedictus 

Benedictus 

and  Hosanna 

and  Hosanna 

and  Hosanna 

Prayer  of 
Access 

Prayer  for  the 

Prayer  for  the 

Church  on 

Church  on 

earth,  with 

earth,  and 

names  of 

for  the  de- 

Saints 

parted 

Commemora- 

2? Prayer  for 

Commemora- 

Commemora- 

tion of  Re- 

acceptance of 

tion  of  Re- 

tion of  Re- 

demption 

service,  and 

demption 

demption 

3?  for  a  bless- 

.1 Invocation 

ing  on  it  for 

of  the  Holy 

consecration 

Spirit 

1.  Words  of 

1.  Words  of 

1.  Words  of 

1.  Words  of 

Institution 

Institution 

Institution 

Institution 

2.  Oblation 

2.  Oblation 

2.  Oblation 

2.  Oblation 

3.  Invocation 

3.  Offering  of 

3.   Invocation 

of  the  Holy 

gifts  to  heav- 

of the  Holy 

Spirit 

enly  altar 

Spirit 

THE  HOLY  COMMUNION— r. 


151 


Greek 
Liturgies 

Prayer  for 

living  and 
departed 

Holy  things 
for  the  holy 


Roman  Litur- 
gv,  Sarum  Use 

Prayer  for  the 
departed 

Doxology 


English  Litur- 
gy of  IS 49 


Doxology 


American 

Litui-gy 

Intercession 


Doxology 


Lord's  Prayer 

Lord's  Prayer 

Lord's  Prayer, 
Invitation, 
Confession, 
Absolution, 
Comfortable 
Words 

Prayer  of 

Prayer  of 

Prayer  of 

Access 

Access 

Access 

Communion 

Communion 

Communion 

Communion 
Lord's  Prayer 

Thanksgiving 

Post-Commun- 

Post-Commun- 

Thanksgiving 

ion  Collect 

ion  Verse 

Thanksgiving 

Gloria  in  ex- 
celsis 

Dismissal 

Dismissal 

Benediction 

Benediction 

The  differences  between  the  order  of  our  service 
and  that  of  the  English  Book  since  1552  are  thus 
shown: — 


Present  English 

Commemoration  of  Re- 
demption 

3?  Prayer  for  the  benefit  to 
Communicants 

1.  Words  of  Institution 


American 

Commemoration  of  Re- 
demption 

1.  Words  of  Institution 

2.  Oblation 

3.  Invocation  of  the  Holy 
Spirit 


1 52  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 

Present  English  American 

Intercession 

Doxology 

Communion  Communion 

Lord's  Prayer  Lord's  Prayer 

Prayer  of  Intercession  and  Thanksgiving 

self-oblation  or  Thanksgiving 

Gloria  in  excelsis  Gloria  in  excelsis 

Benediction  Benediction 

In  the  Greek  Liturgies  the  service  of  the  Prothesis 
includes  an  elaborate  preparation  of  the  elements,  with 
prayers  for  the  preparation  of  the  priest  and  others ; 
it  is  said  in  the  chapel  of  the  Prothesis,  which  corres- 
ponds to  our  credence-table,  but  it  is  at  the  side  of  the 
sanctuary  and  not  included  in  it.  There  are  two  En- 
trances, but  with  full  ceremonial:  the  Little  En- 
trance with  the  Book  of  the  Gospels,  and  the  Great 
Entrance  with  the  elements  which  have  been  prepared 
for  consecration.  The  Prayers  for  the  Catechumens 
have  altogether  or  quite  disappeared,  as  there  is  no 
recognized  body  of  catechumens  now.  (In  the 
Roman  service  the  priest  says  in  this  place 
"Oremus",  'Let  us  pray',  but  there  is  no  prayer 
following  except  on  Good  Friday.)  The  Salutation 
is  in  the  familiar  words,  "The  Lord  be  with  you", 
and  has  the  response  "And  with  thy  spirit".  The  'Lift 
up  your  hearts',  in  Latin  'Sursum  corda',  is  first 
quoted  in  the  Canons  of  Hippolytus  (about  200)  and 
by  Cyprian  of  Carthage  (martyred  in  258),  but  as  an 


THE  HOL  Y  COMMUNION—  I.  1 53 

already  familiar  phrase.  The  'Holy,  Holy,  Holy', 
from  Isaiah  vi.  3  and  Revelation  iv.  8,  is  best  called 
the  'Triumphal  Hymn',  or  (if  the  term  is  preferred) 
the  'Tersanctus',  that  is  'Thrice  Holy'.  It  is  often 
given  the  name  of  'Trisagion',  which  has  exactly  the 
same  meaning  in  Greek  as  has  'Tersanctus*  in 
Latin,  but  which  to  the  Greeks  means  a  short  hymn 
sung  by  them  as  an  earnest  litany-like  prayer:  "Holy 
God,  Holy  Mighty  One,  Holy  Immortal  One,  Have 
mercy  upon  us." 

The  Creed  was  not  said  in  the  eucharistic  service 
of  the  earliest  times.  In  fact,  we  are  told  that  it 
was  introduced  by  two  Bishops  of  doubtful  orthodoxy 
about  the  year  500,  in  order  to  prevent  additions  to 
it  which  might  condemn  their  peculiar  v  views.  In 
the  Roman  Church  it  is  now  said  only  on  Sundays 
and  on  a  few  other  special  days. 

The  Gloria  in  excelsis  is  an  Eastern  Hymn,  and  is 
found  in  its  full  form,  as  is  well  known,  about  the 
year  450.  But  in  the  East  it  is  a  daily  morning 
hymn,  and  has  no  place  in  the  Liturgy.  At  Rome  it 
was  for  a  long  time  used  only  when  a  Bishop  was 
celebrating  the  service,  at  first  on  Christmas,  then 
on  Sundays,  and  finally  on  other  days.  The  use  of 
the  phrase  "Blessed  is  he  that  cometh  in  the  Name  of 
the  Lord,  Ho.sanna  in  the  highest",  is  common  to 
Liturgies  of  both  East  and  West. 

In  the  Roman  use,  the  retention  of  the  words 
'Kyrie  eleison',  transliterated  from  Kv/3ie  ekerjcrov 
('Lord,  have  mercy'),  is  one  of  the  indications  that 


1 54  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 

the  service  was  originally  in  Greek.  For  a  consider- 
able time  there  was  at  Rome  an  Old  Testament 
Lesson,  or  'Prophecy',  before  the  Epistle  and 
Gospel ;  it  is  still  retained  by  the  Roman  Church  on 
certain  week-days  in  Lent  and  at  Ember  seasons, 
and  the  Mozarabic  Liturgy  has  it  in  every  service. 
(It  may  not  be  unreasonable,  as  suggested  further  on, 
to  find  a  reappearance  of  the  Prophecy  in  the  Ten 
Commandments  of  the  English  and  American 
Books.)  The  'Gradual',  sometimes  corrupted  into 
'Grail',  was  a  Psalm,  and  is  now  a  verse,  sung  after 
the  Epistle  from  the  steps  (^gradus')  oi\\iQ.  lectern 
at  which  the  eucharistic  lessons  were  read.  It  was 
followed  by  'Alleluia'  or  in  penitential  seasons  by 
a  long-drawn-out  melody  called  a  'Tract';  and  'Al- 
leluia' was  sometimes  followed  by  a  'Sequence'  or 
'Prose'  (from  'prorsus',  that  which  goes  forward),  an 
example  of  which  is  'In  the  midst  of  life'  in  the 
Burial  Ofifice.  There  was  little  preaching  at  Rome, 
and  the  homily  was  early  omitted  there. 

The  consideration  of  the  order  of  the  parts  of  the 
Prayer  of  Consecration  is  reserved  for  a  later  page. 

The  Eirst  Prayer  Book  of  Edward  VI  was  preceded 
by  "The  Order  of  the  Communion",  set  forth  in 
March  1548,  and  ordered  to  be  first  used  on  Easter- 
day.  Nothing  was  to  be  changed  in  the  Latin  ser- 
vice so  long  in  use;  but  after  the  priest  had  conse- 
crated the  elements  and  himself  received  the  Com- 
munion, be  was  to  say  the  new  'Order'  in   English. 


THE  HOL  Y  COMMUNION—  I.  1 55 

This  consisted  of  the  Exhortation,  the  Invitation 
('Ye  who  do  truly'),  the  Confession  and  Absolution, 
the  Comfortable  Words,  and  the  Prayer  of  Humble 
Access  ('We  do  not  presume'),  which  were  followed 
by  the  administration  in  both  kinds  with  the  words, 
"The  Body  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  which  was 
given  for  thee,  preserve  thy  body  unto  everlasting 
life" ;  "The  Blood  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  which 
was  given  for  thee,  preserve  thy  soul  unto  everlast- 
ing life";  and  then  the  Benediction  with  *The  Peace 
of  God'.  All  the  parts  of  this  'Order'  as  well  as  of 
the  preparatory  'Warning',  suggested  by  and  largely 
derived  from  German  reforming  services,  passed  into 
the  Prayer  Book  of  the  following  year,  and  still  re- 
main, with  but  slight  variations,  in  the  English  and 
American  Books. 

But  in  framing  the  Communion  Office  in  1549 
Cranmer  did  much  more  than  translate  the  ancient 
Latin  service  and  incorporate  into  it  the  new  order 
for  the  preparation  of  the  communicants  and  for 
administering  to  them  both  the  consecrated  bread 
and  wine,  of  the  latter  of  which  they  had  been  for 
some  three  centuries  deprived.  He  followed  indeed 
the  old  office,  but  with  the  omission  of  the  psalmody, 
etc.,  after  the  Epistle  and  with  provision  for  the  pre- 
sentation of  alms  for  the  poor,  until  the  Hosanna 
after  the  Triumphal  Hymn,  Then  he  practically  re- 
wrote the  whole  of  the  Great  Intercession  and  the 
Prayer  of  Consecration  in  words  more  full  and  clear 
and   beautiful   than   before   and  evidently   with   the 


1 56  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  VER 

design  of  better  arrangement.  First,  he  brought 
together  the  petitions  for  the  living  and  the  departed 
into  one  new  prayer  with  the  bidding  words,  "Let 
us  pray  for  the  whole  state  of  Christ's  Church."  His 
form  is  almost  exactly  that  of  the  present  prayer 
with  that  title,  if  we  substitute  for  the  final  paragraph 
the  third  of  the  additional  prayers  in  our  Burial 
Office  ('We  give  thee  most  high  praise'),  with  special 
mention  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  the  Patriarchs,  Proph- 
ets, Apostles,  Martyrs,  etc.,  followed  by  the  words, 
"We  commend  unto  thy  mercy,  O  Lord,  all  other 
thy  servants,  which  are  departed  hence  from  us  with 
the  sign  of  faith,  and  do  now  rest  in  the  sleep  of 
peace;  Grant  unto  them,  we  beseech  thee,  thy  mercy 
and  everlasting  peace,  and  that  at  the  day  of  the 
general  resurrection  we  and  all  they  which  be  of  the 
mystical  body  of  thy  Son  may  altogether  be  set  on 
his  right  hand."  Upon  this  followed  without  a 
break  the  Prayer  of  Consecration,  with  first  a  brief 
commemoration  of  Christ's  redemptive  work;  then 
the  Invocation  of  the  Holy  Ghost  upon  the  gifts  and 
creatures  of  bread  and  wine,  "that  they  may  be  unto 
us  [this  is  the  Roman  phrase]  the  Body  and  Blood  of 
thy  most  dearly  beloved  Son  Jesus  Christ" ;  then  the 
narrative  of  the  Institution;  then  the  Oblation 
('Wherefore,  O  Lord  and  Heavenly  Father'),  as  we 
have  it  now,  with  the  rest  of  the  prayer  as  in  our 
Book,  and  a  petition  in  these  words:  "Command 
these  prayers  and  supplications,  by  the  ministry  of 
thy  holy  angels,  to  be  brought  up  into  thy  holy  taber- 


THE  HOL  Y  COMMUNION—  I.  1 57 

nacle  before  the  sight  of  thy  divine  Majesty"; 
all  concluded  by  the  Lord's  Prayer.  The  'Order  of 
the  Communion'  was  then  inserted,  after  a  saluta- 
tion and  greeting,  its  Benediction  (now  enlarged  to 
its  present  form)  being  deferred  till  after  the  newly 
written  Thanksgiving. 

A  comparison  of  this  office  with  the  Roman,  hav- 
ing reference  to  the  parts  of  the  Prayer  of  Consecra- 
tion, makes  it  evident  that  a  devout  and  scholarly 
hand  was  attempting  to  bring  order  out  of  confusion. 
In  all  the  ancient  liturgies,  it  may  be  safely  said, 
the  Words  of  Institution,  the  Oblation,  and  the  In- 
vocation, had  a  place,  and  in  this  order,  which 
the  Greek  Church  has  never  lost  or  obscured.*" 
In  the  Roman  Liturgies  at  a  comparatively  early 
time,  and  probably  as  a  result  of  combination  of 
forms,  there  had  come  to  be  two  clauses  of  the  Con- 
secratory  Prayer  which  might  be  called  Oblations 
and  two  which  might  be  called  Invocations;  they 
are  marked  in  the  table  2  ?  and  2,  3  ?  and  3,  respec- 
tively. 

Now,  there  can  be  little  doubt  that  the  clauses 
marked  2 }  and  3  ?  are  anticipatory  and  not  an  essen- 
tial part  of  the  service.     Cranmer  saw  that  the  Obla- 


'"  In  our  copies  of  the  East  Syrian  (Nestorian)  Liturgies  the 
Words  of  Institution  are  not  found  ;  but  it  seems  quite  certain 
that  they  were  omitted  in  the  writing  for  reverence'  sake  and 
were  repeated  from  memory.  The  (Roman)  Catholic  En- 
cyclopaedia says  that  "  it  is  certain  that  all  the  old  Liturgies 
contained"  a  prayer  of  Invocation. 


158  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

tion  which  he  wished  to  preserve  was  that  which  fol- 
lowed the  Words  of  Institution,  and  therefore  he 
omitted  that  marked  2?;  but  he  failed  to  see  that  the 
prayer  (marked  3)  for  the  presentation  of  the  gifts 
by  the  ministry  of  God's  Angel  upon  the  heavenly 
altar,  was  in  reality  a  prayer  for  the  'operation  of  the 
Holy  Spirit'  in  blessing,  and  he  fell  back  upon  the 
prayer  for  blessing  (3?)  which  precedes  the  Words  of 
Institution,  and  made  it,  out  of  true  place,  a  definite 
Invocation  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Finally,  before  the 
Doxology  which  closed  the  whole  prayer,  he  turned 
the  petition  for  the  divine  action — ^for  God's  'Holy 
Angel'  seems  certainly  to  be  His  Holy  Spirit  or  His 
Word  —  into  a  petition  for  the  ministration  of  His 
'holy  angels'  in  bringing  the  worship  before  God. 
Thus  the  order  of  the  essential  parts  of  the  prayer 
in  the  Book  of  1549  became  3,  i,  2  —  Invocation, 
Words  of  Institution,  Oblation  —  an  order  which  had 
never  been  employed  before,  and  the  consideration  of 
which  must  have  caused  the  Archbishop  anxious 
thought  after  it  had  passed  into  use. 

It  seems  strange  that  the  learned  scholar  who  had 
framed  such  a  prayer  as  this  for  eucharistic  worship 
should  have  been  content  to  substitute  for  it  three 
year  later  the  bald  and  unprimitive  form  which  still 
remains  in  the  English  Prayer  Book.  The  removal 
of  the  Prayer  for  the  Church  to  a  place  after  the 
Offertory  made  the  service  in  this  particular  conform 
to  Galilean  or  Mozarabic  Use;  and  the  abbreviation  of 
this  prayer  at  the  end  by  this  omission  of  all  refer- 


THE  HOL  Y  COMMUNION—  1.  159 

ence  to  the  departed  was  due  no  doubt  to  contro- 
versies under  the  influence  of  Calvinistic  and  Zwing- 
lian  reformers  on  the  Continent.  Cranmer  was  a 
man  of  doubtful  mind  in  regard  to  many  matters; 
educated  in  the  mediaeval  school  of  theology,  he  had 
felt  obliged  to  break  with  it  in  some  important  par- 
ticulars; and  we  can  hardly  wonder  that  he  was  at 
one  time  minded  to  advance  with  the  scholars  of  the 
Continent,  two  of  whom  (Bucer  and  Peter  Martyr) 
were  Professors  of  Divinity  at  Oxford  and  Cambridge, 
and  at  another  time  inclined  to  fall  back  upon  what 
had  been  so  long  held  as  the  faith  and  practice  of 
Western  Christendom. 

But  the  influences  which  changed  the  Book  of  1549 
into  that  of  1552  were  not  altogether  what  would 
be  called  Protestant  or,  at  a  later  time,  Puritan.  The 
Prayer  Book  which  inserted  an  Absolution  into 
Morning  and  Evening  Prayer  and  introduced  into  the 
Baptismal  Office  the  declaration  that  the  baptized 
child  was  regenerate,  which  retained  conspicuously 
the  sign  of  the  Cross  in  Baptism  and  required  kneel- 
ing at  the  reception  of  the  Holy  Communion,  did 
not  seek  to  satisfy  all  the  objections  of  the  radical 
reformers.  Now  the  Prayer  of  Consecration  in  the 
new  Book  of  1552,  after  a  short  commemoration  of 
redemption  and  a  prayer  that  the  communicants 
may  be  made  partakers  of  Christ's  most  blessed 
Body  and  Blood,  including  no  offering  of  the  elements 
to  God  and  no  prayer  for  their  sanctification  by  the 
Holy  Spirit,  simply  provided  for  a  repetition  of  the 


160  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

Words  of  Institution  and  the  reception  of  the  ele- 
ments by  priest  and  people.  The  Invocation  which 
had  preceded  these  Words  was  removed,  though  a 
phrase  describing  its  desired  effect  in  the  soul  was 
retained ;  and  the  Oblation  which  had  followed  them 
was  removed  also,  though  phrases  carrying  out  part 
of  its  thought  were  turned  into  a  memorial  prayer 
at  the  end  of  the  service.  The  result  certainly  was 
to  teach  that  the  consecration  of  the  gifts  was 
effected  by  the  repetition  of  the  Words  of  Institution 
introduced  by  a  brief  prayer  for  a  blessing  to  ensue 
upon  their  reception. 

This  was  distinctly  Roman  doctrine,  such  as  Cran- 
mer  had  learned  from  the  scholastic  authors  whom 
he  had  studied  in  his  youth ;  not  the  doctrine  of  the 
Missal,  for  that,  though  confusedly,  taught  the  need 
of  an  offering  to  God  and  of  a  prayer  for  God's  bless- 
ing, but  the  doctrine  of  the  theologians  taught  in  the 
books.  Is  it  to  be  wondered  at,  that,  finding  the 
new  Eucharistic  Office  acceptable  neither  to  the  ad- 
herents of  the  old  theology  nor  to  the  advocates  of  the 
new,  and  (as  suggested  above)  finding  that  he  had 
after  all  placed  the  parts  of  the  Consecratory  Prayer 
in  the  wrong  order,  Cranmer  fell  back  on  the  old 
theory  of  consecration  and  put  the  prayer  into  the 
short  and  apparently  uncontroversial  form  of  1552, 
which  the  English  still  retain.?  It  certainly  seems 
to  have  been  under  the  influence  of  Roman  mediaeval 
theology,  if  with  the  further  thought  that  it  would  not 
be  offensive  to  radical  reformers,  that  it  was  adopted, 


THE  HOL  Y  COMMUNION—  I.  161 

to  be  the  use  of  the  Church  of  England  for  centuries. 
to  come. 

Other  changes  in  the  service  were  made  in  1552, 
all  of  which  we  inherit.  The  removal  of  the  Great 
Intercession  to  an  earlier  place  in  the  service  has 
been  already  noted ;  we  should  add  that  a  petition 
for  the  acceptance  of  the  alms  was  inserted  in  it, 
and  that  it  was  seriously  abbreviated  at  the  end. 
The  placing  of  the  preparation  of  the  communicants 
before  'Sursum  corda'  instead  of  after  the  Consecra- 
tion seems  due  to  right  instinct;  for  certainly  they 
should  be  prepared  to  take  part  in  the  whole  of  the 
great  act  of  worship  and  not  in  the  act  of  communion 
alone;  confession  and  absolution  should  precede  the 
offering  and  the  prayer  for  blessing  which  are  the  act 
of  the  whole  church.  The  removal  of  'Gloria  in  ex- 
celsis'  to  the  end  of  the  service  makes  it  a  part  of 
the  noble  thanksgiving  which  precedes  the  blessing 
and  violates  no  liturgical  principle,  if  indeed  it  may 
not  be  called  an  act  of  liturgical  propriety.  And  the 
insertion  of  the  Ten  Commandments  before  the 
Collect  for  the  day  was  of  the  nature  of  a  penitential 
introduction  to  the  service,  furnishing  thoughts  for 
self-examination  before  each  of  the  petitions  for 
mercy  which  had  stood  in  the  former  office.  A  dis- 
tinctively 'Protestant'  change  in  the  service  was  the 
displacement  of  the  formulae  of  administration  —  in 
both  of  which  it  should  be  noted,  the  Book  of  1549 
had  read  'body  and  soul' — by  the  words,  "Take  and 
eat  this  in  remembrance  that  Christ  died  for  thee, 


1 62  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

and  feed  on  him  in  thy  heart  by  faith  with  thanks- 
giving" ;  "Drink  this  in  remembrance  that  Christ's 
blood  was  shed  for  thee,  and  be  thankful".  In  the 
Elizabethan  Book  of  1559,  the  1549  and  1552  formulae 
of  administration  were  combined.  Finally,  in  1662 
a  rubric  as  to  the  presentation  of  the  Bread  and 
Wine  was  inserted  before  the  Prayer  for  the  Church, 
the  words  'and  oblations'  were  inserted  into  that 
Prayer,  and  the  present  commemoration  of  the  de- 
parted was  added  at  its  end. 

The  history  of  the  American  Communion  Office 
calls  for  a  brief  statement  as  to  the  Scottish  Offices 
from  which  our  Prayer  of  Consecration  has  come  to 
us.  Episcopacy  had  been  disestablished  in  Scotland 
in  1560;  reintroduced  in  1610,  it  was  again  dis- 
established in  1638  on  the  ground  that  Episcopacy 
was  contrary  to  the  Word  of  God;  once  more  re- 
stored in  1660,  it  was  again  disestablished  after  the 
Revolution  of  1688  as  not  being  "agreeable  to  the  in- 
clinations of  the  people".  Most  of  the  Churchmen 
of  that  country  were  loyal  to  the  deposed  Stuart 
family,  and  they  fell  under  the  ban  of  severe  laws,  the 
most  stringent  of  which  were  passed  after  the  rising 
of  1745."  There  was  a  strong  bond  of  political  sym- 
pathy between  them  and  the  English  Non-jurors, 
who  from  faithfulness  to  the  Stuarts  had  refused  to 
take  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  new  line  of  sov- 


"' England  and  Scotland  had  been  united  as  one  Kingdom 
with  one  Parliament  in  1707. 


THE  HOL  Y  COMMUNION—  I.  163 

ereigns ;  and  there  was  also  a  strong  bond  of  ec- 
clesiastical sympathy  which  brought  them  together. 
Both  the  Scottish  Churchmen  and  the  English  Non- 
jurors had  among  their  clergy  men  of  sound  learning 
who  made  a  study  of  liturgical  matters;  and  for  sev- 
eral reasons  their  minds  were  turned  toward  the 
Church  of  the  East.  They  began  to  prepare  forms  of 
service  for  the  Holy  Communion;  and  recognizing 
no  obligation  to  follow  the  English  service  in  all  its 
details,  they  first  made  use  of  the  ill-fated  Prayer 
Book  which  James  I  had  sent  to  Scotland  in  1637,  i'^ 
which  the  Communion  Office  closely  resembled  that 
of  the  first  Book  of  Edward  VI;  and  then,  as  they 
pursued  their  studies,  they  accepted  the  teaching 
and  order  of  the  Greek  Liturgies,  and  among  them 
in  particular  the  Liturgy  of  St.  James. 

In  or  about  the  year  1700  appeared  Stephens's 
"Liturgy  of  the  Ancient  Christians","  containing  for 
the  first  time  in  the  English  language  the  Words  of 
Institution,  the  Oblation,  and  the  Invocation  in  their 
primitive  order;  and  the  same  order  was  followed  in 
the  Non-jurors'  Book  of  1718,  and  in  Scottish  Offices 
of  a  later  date.  These  offices,  which  contained  only 
the  Communion  service,  beginning  with  the  Exhorta- 
tion, were  printed  by  themselves  and  were  familiarly 
known  as  'wee  bookies' ;  they  followed  the  general 
arrangement  of  the  English  Book  of  1549,  but  placed 


'^  Not  to  be  confused  with  his  "  Liturgy  of  the  Ancients", 
published  in  1696 ;  they  are  both  reprinted  in  volume  ii  of 
Hall's  Fragmenta  Liturgica. 


164  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 

the  parts  of  the  Prayer  of  Consecration  in  the  order 
just  named.  It  was  in  the  form  of  this  service  as 
published  in  1764  that  Bishop  Seabury  had  wor- 
shipped in  Edinburgh  during  the  years  1752-1753, 
while  he  was  studying  medicine  and  waiting  for  his 
twenty-fourth  birthday  that  he  might  be  ordained, 
and  which  he  found  in  use  by  the  Bishops  who  conse- 
crated him  to  their  sacred  office.  In  the  'Concordate' 
which  he  made  with  them,  and  which  they  and  he 
signed  on  the  following  day,  the  Scottish  Bishops 
say  that  though  they  are  "very  far  from  prescribing 
to  their  brethren  in  this  matter,  they  cannot  help 
ardently  wishing  that  Bishop  Seabury  would  en- 
deavour all  he  can,  consistently  with  peace  and  pru- 
dence, to  make  the  celebration  of  this  venerable 
Mystery  [of  the  Eucharist]  conformable  to  the  most 
primitive  Doctrine  and  Practice  in  that  respect, 
which  is  the  pattern  the  Church  of  Scotland  has 
copied  after  in  her  Communion  Office";  and  Bishop 
Seabury  agreed  "to  take  a  serious  view  of  the  Com- 
munion Office  recommended  by  them,  and  if  found 
agreeable  to  the  genuine  Standards  of  Antiquity,  to 
give  his  Sanction  to  it,  and  by  gentle  methods  of 
Argument  and  Persuasion  to  endeavour,  as  they  have 
done,  to  introduce  it  by  degrees  into  practice,  with- 
out the  compulsion  of  Authority  on  the  one  side  or 
the  prejudice  of  former  Custom  on  the  other." 
The  story  has  been  told  on  earlier  pages  how  Bishop 
Seabury  in  1786,  after  the  publication  of  the  'Pro- 
posed Book'  in  the  'South',  set  forth  an  edition  of 


THE  HOL  Y  COMMUNION—  I.  1 65 

the  Scottish  Communion  Office  for  use  in  his  diocese, 
and  how  at  the  General  Convention  of  1789  he 
secured  the  insertion  of  the  Prayer  of  Consecration 
from  this  office  in  the  Prayer  Book  set  forth  by  the 
authority  of  the  Church  in  the  United  States,  and 
that  with  the  full  approval  of  all  who  shared  with 
him  in  the  important  work  of  the  Convention.  Thus 
a  great  gift,  which  England  could  not  impart  to  us 
because  she  had  it  not,  came  to  the  Church  in  this 
land  from  a  body  which  men  called  "a  shadow  of  a 
shade",  and  which  called  itself  "the  Catholic  re- 
mainder of  the  Church  of  Scotland". 


VIII. 

THE  HOLY  COMMUNION— II. 

Commentary  on  the  Office 

THE  Order  for  the  Holy  Communion,  the 
Divine  Liturgy,  consists  of  two  parts,  which 
were  called  in  Latin  'Missa  Catechumenorum'  and 
'Missa  Fidelium'.  At  the  former,  which  consisted  of 
prayer,  the  reading  of  the  Scripture,  and  instruction 
or  exhortation,  those  who  were  preparing  for  bap- 
tism or  even  under  discipline  were  allowed  to  attend, 
and  the  ancient  liturgies  contain  prayers  to  be  used 
at  their  dismissal ;  at  the  latter,  the  Christian  Mys- 
teries, only  the  faithful  were  present.  In  our  office 
the  point  of  division  is  not  exactly  defined.  The 
rubric  at  the  end  of  the  service  requires  that  "upon 
the  Sundays  and  other  Holy-days,  though  there  be 
no  Sermon  or  Communion,  shall  be  said  all  that  is 
appointed  at  the  Communion,  unto  the  end  of  the 
Gospel,  concluding  with  the  Blessing".  This  would 
imply  that  the  division  of  the  service  should  come 
after  the  Gospel  if  there  is  no  Sermon,  or  after  the 
Sermon  if  one  is  provided,  and  seems  to  assume  that 
the  Creed  will  not  be  said  if  the  celebration  of  the 
Sacrament  is  not  to  follow.  But  as  the  Offertory 
Sentences  may  be  used  at  any  time  'when  the  alms  of 
the  people  are  to  be  received',  it  is  proper  to  defer 
the  Benediction  until  the  offerings  have  been  made. 


THE  HOL  Y  COMMUNION— II.  167 

The  English  Prayer  Book  orders  that  when  the 
'Ante-Communion'  is  read  the  service  shall  conclude 
with  the  'General'  Prayer  for  the  Church,  making 
the  preliminary  part  of  the  service  end  there;  and 
this  has  come  to  be  the  usage  with  us,  if  a  pause 
is  made  for  the  withdrawal  of  catechumens  or  non- 
communicants.'  Formerly  this  was  not  so,  the 
Communion-alms  being  received  from  the  commu- 
nicants alone. 

The  first  two  rubrics  are  disciplinary,  and  call  for 
interpretation  by  ecclesiastical  lawyers  rather  than  by 
commentators  on  the  Prayer  Book.  It  may  be  well 
to  note  that  suspension  or  'repelling'  from  the  Holy 
Communion  is  not  excommunication;  that  'advertise' 
is  old  English  and  means  'notify'  (see  Numbers  xxiv. 
14  in  the  Authorized  Version,  where  the  Hebrew  for 
'advertise  thee'  is  literally  'cause  thee  to  know'); 
and  that  Canon  40  §  H,  makes  provision  for  further 
possible  action  after  the  minister  has  given  notice  to 
the  Ordinary  (that  is  the  Bishop)  that  he  has  thus 
disciplined  a  communicant. 

The  rubric  before  the  Lord's  Prayer  speaks  first  of 
the  Table  at  which  the  service  is  to  be  said,  its  cov- 
ering, its  place  in  the  Church,  and  the  part  of  it  at 
which  the  officiating  minister  is  to  stand.  The  word 
'Table'  or  'Holy  Table'  is  by  no  means  peculiar  to 
Reformation  or  post-Reformation  times;  it  has  been 


^  In  this  pause,  the  organ  should  irjt  be   played.     Read   in 
Bishop  Coxa's  Christian  Ballads  "The  Soul-Dirge." 


168  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

used  from  the  fourth  century/  and  the  correspond- 
ing Greek  word  is  the  common  name  for  that  which 
was  more  commonly,  though  by  no  means  exclus- 
ively, called  'Altar'  in  the  West.  The  first  Book  of 
1549  used  indifferently  the  names  'Altar'  and  'God's 
Board' ;  and,  by  the  way,  'table'  and  'board'  were 
interchangeable  in  English,  as  when  we  speak  of  the 
'tables'  on  which  were  painted  the  Creed  and  the 
Lord's  Prayer  and  the  Commandments.  Neither 
'table'  nor  'altar'  of  iself  implies  or  denies  anything 
as  to  doctrine.^  A  'fair'  cloth,  says  a  careful  writer, 
implies  "good  repair  as  well  as  cleanliness";  it 
seems  also  to  mean  that  the  cloth  shall  not  be  em- 
broidered with  colors. 

The  phrase  'in  the  body  of  the  Church  or  in  the 
Chancel'  comes  to  us  from  1552.  Its  earlier  part,  'in 
the  body  of  the  Church',  carries  us  back  to  the  time 
when  it  was  customary  in  England,  if  the  Communion 
was  to  be  celebrated,  to  bring  the  Lord  s  Table  into 
that  part  of  the  church  in  which  the  congregation 
were  assembled,  that  they  might  hear  and  take  part 
in  the  service;  the  chancels  in  most  of  the  old 
churches  being  so  deep,  with  a  great  deal  of  choir 
space,  and  sometimes  so  separated  from  the  nave  by 
a  heavy  screen,  that  the  people  could  not  readily 
either  hear  or  see  the  officiant  at  the  end  of  the 
building.     To  this  day,  in  some  churches  in  England, 


^  Cf.  St.  Paul  in  i  Cor.  x.  22. 

^As  to  the  use  of  the  word  '  altar '  in  the  Institution  Office, 
see  note  on  that  office. 


THE  HOL  Y  COMMUNION—  II.  169 

the  communicants  go  into  the  choir  after  the  Prayer 
for  the  Church  or  even  at  an  earlier  time,  for  con- 
venience in  taking  their  part  in  the  service,  literally 
'drawing  near  v^ith  faith'.  This  removal  of  the 
Lord's  Table  seems  to  have  been  common  in  England 
until  the  time  of  Charles  I ;  with  us  it  is  quite  un- 
known. The  word  'chancel',  from  the  Latin  cati- 
celli,  meaning  'bars  of  lattice-work',  and  then  the 
part  of  a  public  building  latticed  off  for  judges  or 
officers  (chancellors),  doubtless  includes  all  parts  of  a 
church  which  we  call  by  the  name  choir,  sometimes 
also  presbytery  and  sanctuary  (or  chancel  proper), 
as  appears  from  our  use  of  the  word  'chancel-arch'. 

The  'right  side  of  the  Table'  was,  in  our  Book  until 
1835,  as  it  has  been  in  the  English  since  1552,  the 
'north  side' ;  in  the  Book  of  1549  the  rubric  read  "The 
Priest  standing  humbly  afore  the  midst  of  the  Altar, 
shall  say  the  Lord's  Prayer  with  this  Collect".  There 
can  be  no  doubt  that  the  change  of  word  in  1835  was 
not  meant  to  change  the  position  of  the  officiating 
minister;  but  while  in  England,  where  all  chancels 
are  in  the  east,*  the  north  side  meant  a  definite  di- 
rection, in  our  country,  where  chancels  are  at  all 
points  of  the  compass,  it  had  to  be  interpreted  on  the 
assumption  that  the  chancel  was  in  the  'ecclesiastical 
east',  and  the  word  'right'  was  adopted  to  avoid  am- 
biguity. 


*  The  orientating  of  churches  in  England  dates  back  to  early 
times. 


170  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

The  phrase  'right  side'  has  given  rise  to  much 
controversy,  the  points  of  which  it  is  not  necessary 
to  reproduce.  It  seems  certain,  historically,  that 
'side  of  Table'  means  the  long  side  as  distin- 
guished from  the  'end';  that  when  the  Lord's  Table 
was  brought  into  the  body  of  the  Church  for  the 
Communion  it  stood  lengthwise,  and  that  this  posi- 
tion was  not  unusual  even  in  the  chancel;  and  that  it 
was  largely  owing  to  Archbishop  Laud  that  the 
Tables  were  finally  turned  about  to  stand  crosswise 
or  'altar-wise',  with  the  short  ends  north  and  south. 
With  the  lengthwise  position  of  the  Table,  the  priest 
obeying  the  rubric  would  stand  facing  south ;  what 
was  he  to  do  when  the  Table  was  turned  ?  If  he 
went  with  the  Table,  he  found  himself  facing  east, 
in  the  same  direction  as  the  congregation ;  if  he 
stayed  where  he  was,  he  found  himself  at  the  end  of 
the  Table,  facing  south.  This  is  the  historical  or 
ritual  difBculty,  the  decision  of  which  is  hardly 
worth  the  time  involved  in  stating  it;  and  it  is  not 
possible  that  any  matter  of  doctrine  could  depend  on 
its  solution.  The  matter  is  settled  for  us,  so  far  as 
it  is  settled,  by  custom;  probably  most  of  our  clergy 
now  stand  facing  east  in  the  place  where  the  Gospel 
is  to  be  read,  and  thus  at  what  may  be  called  the 
'right  side'  as  one  faces  the  people;  while  those 
who  follow  the  old  Anglican  use  stand  at  the  'right 
side'  as  one  faces  the  Lord's  Table  itself,  in  the  place 
where  the  Epistle  is  to  be  read,  moving  to  the  other 
position  for  the  reading  of  the  Gospel.     It  seems  to 


THE  HOL  Y  COMMUNION—  //.  171 

the  present  writer  that  those  who  follow  the  former 
use  comply  more  closely  with  the  rubric  as  it  is 
read  historically. 

The  words,  "or  where  Morning  and  Evening  Prayer 
are  appointed  to  be  said"  have  stood  in  the  English 
Book  since  1552  in  the  preceding  sentence,  and  serve 
to  define  the  word  'chancel'  as  including  the  place  in 
which  the  clergy  ordinarily  minister.  In  our  Book 
they  give  permission  for  saying  the  opening  part  of 
the  Communnion  service  in  the  reading-desk  or  stall, 
as  far  as  to  (or  through)  the  Sermon;  the  Offertory 
must  always  be  begun  at  the  Lord's  Table.  This 
permission  was  intended,  we  are  told,  to  cover  the 
case  of  St.  Peter's  Church,  Philadelphia,  where  the 
Lord's  Table  is  still  at  the  east  end  of  the  building 
while  the  reading-desk  and  pulpit  are  at  the  other 
end;  and  Bishop  White,  who  was  rector  there  as  well 
as  at  Christ  Church,  did  not  wish  to  walk  the  length 
of  the  central  'aisle'  to  read  the  ante-Communion  ser- 
vice and  then  walk  back  to  preach  the  Sermon.  Very 
probably  the  same  conditions  led  to  the  use  elsewhere 
of  the  permission  given  in  the  rubric. 

The  word  'Minister'  is  used  in  the  early  part  of 
the  service,  because  it  may  lawfully  be  read  by  a 
deacon;  as  has  been  noted  before,  the  American 
Prayer  Book  almost  invariably  uses  the  word  'Priest' 
only  in  places  where  none  but  a  priest  may  officiate. 
By  Canon  22  §  III,  lay-readers  are  not  permitted 
to  read  any  part  of  the  Communion  service. 

The  direction  to   the   minister   to   stand   for    the 


172  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 

Lord's  Prayer  and  for  the  Collect  while  the  people 
kneel,  calls  our  attention  here  to  the  postures  to  be 
observed  in  this  service,  a  matter  as  to  which  the 
rubrics  do  not  give  full  instructions.  At  the  General 
Convention  of  1832,  the  House  of  Deputies  asked 
the  Bishops  "to  express  their  opinion  as  to  the  proper 
postures  to  be  used  in  the  Communion  Office,  with 
a  view  to  effecting  uniformity  in  that  respect  during 
its  celebration."     The  Bishops  replied  that  — 

"First,  with  regard  to  the  officiating  priest,  they 
are  of  the  opinion  that,  as  the  Holy  Communion  is 
of  a  spiritually  sacrificial  character,  the  standing 
posture  should  be  observed  by  him  whenever  that  of 
kneeling  is  not  expressly  prescribed,  to  wit:  in  all 
parts,  including  the  ante-Communion  and  post-Com- 
munion, except  the  Confession  and  the  prayer  im- 
mediately preceding  the  Prayer  of  Consecration." 

Then,  after  speaking  of  the  principles  involved  in 
their  ruling,  they  added: — 

"The  positions,  therefore,  proper  to  be  observed 
by  the  people  during  the  Communion  Office,  the 
Bishops  believe  to  be  as  follows:  Kneeling  during 
the  whole  of  the  ante-Communion,  except  the  Epistle, 
which  is  to  be  heard  in  the  usual  posture  for  hearing 
the  Scriptures,  and  the  Gospel,  which  is  ordered  to 
be  heard  standing;  the  sentences  of  the  Offertory  to 
be  heard  sitting,  as  the  most  favorable  posture  for 
handing  alms,  etc.,  to  the  person  collecting;  kneel- 
ing to  be  observed  during  the  Prayer  for  the  Church 
Militant;  standing,  during  the  exhortations;  kneeling 


THE  HOLY  COMMUNION— II.  173 

to  be  then  resumed,  and  continued  until  after  the 
Prayer  of  Consecration ;  standing,  at  the  singing  of 
the  Hymn;  kneeling,  when  receiving  the  elements, 
and  during  the  post-Communion,  or  that  part  of  the 
service  which  succeeds  the  delivery  and  receiving  of 
the  elements,  except  the  Gloria  in  excelsis,  which  is 
to  be  said  or  sung  standing;  after  which  the  Congre- 
gation should  again  kneel  to  receive  the  blessing." 

These  rules,  given  by  way  of  counsel  and  not  of 
authority,  are  still  generally  observed  in  the  Church. 
Sometimes  in  a  small  congregation  it  is  more  con- 
venient to  stand  during  the  receiving  of  the  alms; 
when  the  long  Exhortation  is  omitted,  as  is  allowed 
if  it  has  been  read  on  one  Lord's  Day  in  the  month,  it 
is  better  to  kneel  through  the  short  Exhortation  or 
Invitation ;  and  the  Hymn  after  the  Prayer  of  Consecra- 
tion may  be  treated  as  a  prayer,  and  thus  the  posture 
of  kneeling  continued  through  it. 

One  question  remains,  which  is  not  easy  to  answer, 
before  we  pass  from  this  third  rubric,  really  the  first 
which  has  to  do  with  the  service:  Should  the  Lord's 
Prayer  in  this  place  be  said  by  the  minister  alone  or 
by  the  minister  and  the  people  together.?  The 
rubric  before  the  Lord's  Prayer  in  Morning  Prayer 
instructs  the  people  to  say  it  with  the  minister  "both 
here  and  wheresoever  else  it  is  said  in  Divine  Service' ' ; 
and  it  was  shown  there  that  'Divine  Service'  cer- 
tainly includes  the  Communion  Office.  Is  the  prayer, 
then,  in  this  place  to  be  considered  a  part  of  the  public 
office,  or  is  it  part  of  the  priest's  preparation,  the  peo- 


1 74  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

pie  beginning  to  join  in  the  service  at  the  'Amen' 
after  the  Collect  for  Purity  or  at  the  rehearsal  of  the 
Commandments  ?  The  Collect  for  Purity,  both  in 
the  Roman  service  and  in  the  Sarum  Use,  stands  in 
the  priest's  office  of  preparation  before  the  Introit 
and  the  approach  to  the  altar.  It  would  hardly  seem 
that  when  in  1549  the  two  prayers  were  ordered  to  be 
said  'afore  the  midst  of  the  Altar', °  although  they 
still  preceded  the  Introit,  they  were  meant  to  con- 
tinue as  private  prayers;  but  the  service  will  permit 
that  interpretation.  Some  good  authorities,  among 
them  Mr.  Scudamore,  are  of  the  opinion  that  the 
people  should  here  say  the  Lord's  Prayer  with  the 
minister.  On  the  other  hand,  the  almost  universal 
custom  in  England,  and  the  prevailing  custom  in  this 
country,  is  that  the  people  do  not  join  audibly  in 
the  Lord's  Prayer  in  this  place  or  make  a  response  to 
it;  and  the  writer  was  told  by  Bishop  Williams  of 
Connecticut,  on  the  authority  of  Dr.  Samuel  F. 
Jarvis  and  Bishop  Smith  of  Kentucky,  that  both 
Bishop  Seabury  and  Bishop  White  held  that  the  peo- 
ple ought  not  to  say  it.  It  seems  clearly  a  case  where 
original  and  continued  usage  has  ruled  against  a 
literal  interpretation  of  a  rubric,  and  where  it  may  be 
well  to  yield  to  usage.  There  is  no  question  that  the 
people  are  to  say  'Amen'  to  the  Collect  for  Purity. 
The  Introit  or  'Entrance'  Psalm  or  Verse  was  so 


*  Perhaps,  as  has  been  suggested  to  me,  this  meant '  at  the  foot 
of  the  altar-steps,'  where  the  'Confiteor',  etc.,  had  been  said. 


THE  HOL  Y  COMMUNION—  II.  1 75 

called  from  its  use  at  the  time  when  the  priest  was 
entering  the  sanctuary  to  begin  the  service.  It  was 
called  in  the  Sarum  Use  'Officium',  a  word  which 
really  belonged  to  all  the  former  part  of  the  service. 
In  the  first  Book  of  Edward  VI  an  Introit  Psalm 
was  printed  in  full  before  the  Collect  for  each  Sunday 
or  Holy-day.  A  list  of  these  Introits  follows,  inas- 
much as  they  may  well  be  used,  either  chanted  in  the 
Prayer  Book  version  or  sung  in  some  metrical  ver- 
sion; for  instance:  Hymns  412  and  413  are  versi- 
fications of  Psalm  xxiii,  the  Introit  for  Septuagesima; 
Hymn  334  is  a  versification  of  Psalm  cxxx,  the 
Introit  for  the  Second  Sunday  in  Lent;  etc. 

TABLE  OF  INTROITS 

First  Sunday  in  Advent Psalm  i 

Second  Sunday  in  Advent Psalm  120 

Third  Sunday  in  Advent Psalm  4 

Fourth  Sunday  in  Advent Psalm  5 

Christmas,  first  Communion Psalm  98 

Christmas,  second  Communion Psalm  8 

St.  Stephen's  Day Psalm  52 

St.  John  Evangelist's  Day Psalm  1 1 

Innocents'  Day Psalm  79 

Sunday  after  Christmas Psalm  121 

Circumcision Psalm  122 

Epiphany  Psalm  96 

First  Sunday  after  Epiphany Psalm  13 

Second  Sunday  after  Epiphany Psalm  14 

Third  Sunday  after  Epiphany Psalm  15 

Fourth  Sunday  after  Epiphany Psalm  2 

Fifth  Sunday  after  Epiphany    "t  p     , 

Sixth  Sunday  after  Epiphany   J 

Septuagesima Psalm  23 

Sexagesima Psalm  24 


176  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 

Quinquagesima Psalm  26 

Ash- Wednesday Psalm  6 

First  Sunday  in  Lent Psalm  32 

Second  Sunday  in  Lent Psalm  130 

Third  Sunday  in  Lent Psalm  43 

Fourth  Sunday  in  Lent Psalm  46 

Fifth  Sunday  in  Lent Psalm  54 

Sunday  before  Easter Psalm  61 

Good  Friday Psalm  22 

Easter-even Psalm  88 

Easter-day,  first  Communion Psalm  16 

Easter-day,  second  Communion Psalm  3 

Easter-Monday Psalm  62 

Easter-Tuesday Psalm  113 

First  Sunday  after  Easter Psalm  1 12 

Second  Sunday  after  Easter Psalm  70 

Third  Sunday  after  Easter Psalm  75 

Fourth  Sunday  after  Easter Psalm  83 

Fifth  Sunday  after  Easter Psalm  84 

Ascension-day Psalm  47 

Sunday  after  Ascension Psalm  93 

Whitsunday Psalm  33 

Whit-Monday  Psalm  100 

Whit-Tuesday Psalm  loi 

Trinity-Sunday Psalm  67 

First  Sunday  after  Trinity Psalm  119,  part  i 

Second  Sunday  after  Trinity Psalm  119,  part  2 

Third  Sunday  after  Trinity Psalm  119,  part  3 

Fourth  Sunday  after  Trinity Psalm  1 19,  part  4 

Fifth  Sunday  after  Trinity Psalm  119,  part  5 

Sixth  Sunday  after  Trinity Psalm  1 19,  part  8 

Seventh  Sunday  after  Trinity ...  Psalm  119,  part  7 

Eighth  Sunday  after  Trinity Psalm  119,  part  8 

Ninth  Sunday  after  Trinity Psalm  119,  part  9 

Tenth  Sunday  after  Trinity Psalm  1 19,  part  10 

Eleventh  Sunday  after  Trinity Psalm  119,  part  1 1 

Twelfth  Sunday  after  Trinity  .    Psalm  1 19,  part  12 

Thirteenth  Sunday  after  Trinity Psalm  1 19,  part  13 

Fourteenth  Sunday  after  Trinity Psalm  119,  part  14 


THE  HOL  Y  COMMUNION—  II.  177 

Fifteenth  Sunday  after  Trinity Psalm  119,  part     15 

Sixteenth  Sunday  after  Trinity Psalm  119,  part     16 

Seventeenth  Sunday  after  Trinity Psalm  119,  part     17 

Eighteenth  Sunday  after  Trinity Psalm  119,  part     18 

Nineteenth  Sunday  after  Trinity Psalm  1 19,  part     19 

Twentieth  Sunday  after  Trinity Psalm  1 19,  part    20 

Twenty-first  Sunday  after  Trinity Psalm  1 19,  part    21 

Twenty-second  Sunday  after  Trinity Psalm  119,  part    22 

Twenty-third  Sunday  after  Trinity Psalm  124 

Twenty-fourth  Sunday  after  Trinity Psalm  125 

Sunday  next  before  Advent Psalm  127 

St.  Andrew's  Day Psalm  1 29 

St.  Thomas's  Day Psalm  128 

Conversion  of  St.  Paul Psalm  138 

Purification Psalm  134 

St.  Matthias's  Day Psalm  140 

Annunciation Psalm  131 

St.  Mark's  Day Psalm  141 

St.  Philip  and  St.  James's  Day Psalm  133 

St.  Barnabas's  Day Psalm  142 

Nativity  of  St.  John  Baptist Psalm  143 

St.  Peter's  Day Psalm  144 

St.  James's  Day  Psalm  148 

[Transfiguration Psalm  146] 

St.  Bartholomew's  Day Psalm  115 

St.  Matthew's  Day Psalm  117 

Michaelmas Psalm  1 13 

St.  Luke's  Day Psalm  137 

St.  Simon  and  St.  Jude's  Day Psalm  150 

All  Saints Psalm  149 

The  Ten  Commandments,  as  has  been  noted  al- 
ready, were  introduced  into  the  Communion  Service 
in  1552;  but  that  was  not  the  first  time  that  they 
were  publicly  read  in  the  English  Church.  As  far 
back  as  the  year  r28i,  in  the  Province  of  Canter- 
bury, each  parish  priest  was  ordered  to  read  and 
13 


178  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 

explain  the  Ten  Commandments  four  times  a  year; 
and  the  same  order  was  given  in  the  Province  of 
York  in  1460.  In  1542  the  English  Bishops  directed 
their  clergy  to  read  the  Commandments  twice  each 
quarter;  and  in  1547,  it  was  ordered  that  on  every 
Holy-day  when  there  was  not  a  sermon  the  Creed,  the 
Lord's  Prayer,  and  the  Ten  Commandments  should 
be  recited  in  English  after  the  Gospel.  As  they 
stand,  they  are  now  an  Old  Testament  Lesson;  and 
followed  as  they  are  by  nine  Kyries  of  uniform 
wording  and  one  of  somewhat  different  form,  they 
have  a  special  value.'  Our  Book  in  1790  introduced 
from  the  Scottish  Office,  as  a  discretionary  addition 
to  the  Commandments,  our  Lord's  Summary  of  them; 
since  the  last  revision,  it  may  be  said  either  after 
or  in  place  of  the  Decalogue,  provided  that  the  Deca- 
logue be  read  once  on  each  Sunday.  The  Summary, 
it  may  be  noted,  is  quoted  by  our  Lord  from  the 
Pentateuch;  so  that  in  either  case  we  have  a  read- 
ing from  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures.  The  Com- 
mandments were  not  taken  from  any  version  of  the 
Bible;  but,  as  was  also  the  case  of  the  Comfortable 
Words,  they  were  directly  translated  for  use  in  the 
service.  The  Three  Kyries  (or  Lesser  Litany)  follow 
the  Summary  when  the  Decalogue  is  not  read,  that 
the  cry  for  mercy  may  not  be  omitted  from  the  place 


•^It  is  said  that  the  Duke  of  Wellington  declared  his  judg- 
ment, that  it  would  be  worth  while  to  keep  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land established,  if  only  to  make  sure  that  the  Ten  Command- 
ments should  be  read  once  a  week  in  every  parish  in  the  land. 


THE  HOL  Y  COMMUNION—  II.  1 79 

where  it  had  stood  of  old.  The  ancient  Collect  for 
Grace  to  keep  the  Commandments  was  brought  into 
this  place  for  discretionary  use  from  the  Scottish 
service;  it  stands  in  the  English  Book  at  the  close  of 
the  Communion  Office,  and  also,  as  with  us,  in  the 
Confirmation  service. 

Something  has  already  been  said  (Chapter  V)  as 
to  the  Collects,  Epistles,  and  Gospels.  The  announce- 
ment of  the  precise  place  at  which  the  Epistles  and 
Gospels  begin  may  have  been  meant  for  a  time  when 
people  could  look  for  their  places  in  the  Bible,  as 
many  used  to  do  when  the  text  of  a  sermon  was 
announced.  The  permission  to  say,  "The  portion  of 
Scripture  appointed  for  the  Epistle"  was  granted 
in  1662,  to  relieve  the  conscience  of  those  who  would 
not  call  a  passage  from  the  Old  Testament  or  the 
Acts  or  the  Revelation  by  the  name  of  an  'Epistle'; 
but  having  been  appointed  and  read  as  an  Epistle,  it 
becomes  such,  and  the  concluding  formula  is  always 
"Here  endeth  the  Epistle".  It  is  a  very  old  custom 
that  all  in  the  congregation  should  rise  to  greet  the 
Liturgical  Gospel,  technically  called  the  'Holy 
Gospel',  and  stand  while  it  is  reading;  where  the 
people  stood  during  the  whole  service,  resting  at 
times  on  staves,  they  laid  aside  the  staves,  and  those 
who  had  their  heads  covered  removed  their  caps  or 
mitres  or  crowns;  a  Greek  Bishop  lays  aside  his 
pall,  as  showing  his  submission  to  the  Chief  Bishop 
whose  words  are  to  be  read ;  and  all  in  the  church, 
should,  if  necessaary,  turn  so  as  to  face  the  reader  of 


1 80  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

the  Gospel.  The  salutation,  'Gloria  tibi,  Domine',  is 
also  of  ancient  use;  though  constantly  sung  in  Eng- 
land, it  has  not  been  in  their  Prayer  Book  since 
1552.  The  doxology  at  the  end  of  the  Gospel, 
'Thanks  be  to  thee,  O  Lord',  'Praise  be  to  thee,  O 
Christ',  or  other  like  words,  has  never  been  in  any 
English  Book  except  that  prepared  for  Scotland  in 
1637,  which  also,  alone  of  English  Books,  directed 
the  priest  to  say,  "So  endeth  the  Holy  Gospel", 
Ritual  purists  tell  us  that  this  is  never  to  be 
said,  because  the  Gospel  never  comes  to  an  end, 
and  because  our  response  to  the  Gospel  is  the 
Creed. 

It  is  an  English  use  which  we  should  not  willingly 
change,  to  require  the  recitation  of  the  Creed  at 
every  public  service  at  which  the  Holy  Communion 
is  celebrated:  in  England,  the  Nicene  Creed  is 
always  said  after  the  Gospel;  with  us,  either  the 
Apostles'  or  the  Nicene  is  said  either  after  the 
Gospel  or  in  Morning  Prayer  immediately  before  the 
Communion,  or  one  is  said  in  each  service;  only 
since  1892,  our  Book  has  prescribed  that  the  Nicene 
Creed  shall  be  said  on  the  five  great  festivals  of  the 
year.  It  needs  not  to  be  noted  that  the  Nicene 
Creed  is  distinctly  the  Eucharistic  Creed  of  the 
Church,  and  is  normally  said  in  this  place. 

Between  the  Creed  and  the  Sermon  the  minister  is 
to  notify  the  people  of  the  Holy-days  or  Fasting- 
days  to  be  observed  in  the  week  following —  this  seems 
therefore  a  rubric  for  Sundays  —  to  give  notice  of  the 


THE  HOL  V  COMMUNION—  II.  181 

Communion,  for  which  purpose  forms  of  'warning' 
are  provided  at  the  end  of  the  service,  and  to  make 
publication  of  other  matters.  (Banns  of  Matrimony- 
are  no  longer  required  by  the  laws  of  the  land,  and 
their  publication  has  become  obsolete.)  It  may  be 
suggested  that  mention  might  well  be  made  of  days 
which  are  appointed  for  observance,  even  if  for  any 
reason  there  is  to  be  no  special  service  in  that 
church  on  the  particular  days;  the  notice  'Friday  in 
this  week  is  a  fasting  day'  might  be  very  instructive 
and  helpful  though  there  were  no  other  notices  to 
give.  The  English  Prayer  Book  directs  that  Briefs, 
Citations,  and  Excommunications  are  to  be  read  in 
this  place.  Briefs  are  Royal  Letters  asking  for 
special  contributions,  as  a  few  years  ago  for  the 
sufferers  from  famine  in  India;'  Citations  are  sum- 
monses to  appear  in  court,  practically  limited  now  to 
the  announcement  that  some  member  of  the  parish  is 
a  candidate  for  ordination  and  that  objectors  are  to 
present  their  objections;  and  Excommunications  are 
obsolete.  Their  rubric  goes  on  to  say  that  no  one 
but  the  minister  shall  make  any  proclamation  or  pub- 
lication in  time  of  Divine  Service  (note  the  words 
applied  to  the  Communion),  and  that  he  shall  not 
proclaim  or  publish  anything  except  what  is  pre- 
scribed by  the  rubrics  or  enjoined  by  the  King  or  the 
Bishop.  The  spirit  of  this  rule  should  regulate  the 
giving  of  'notices'  from  the  chancel  and  in  the  Com- 


'  Briefs  are  not  unknown  in  American  history. 


1 82  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 

munion  Office;  those  of  a  semi-secular  character 
would  be  better  announced  from  the  reading-stall  or 
the  pulpit,  or  posted  in  the  porch. 

The  Sermon,  as  an  exposition  of  the  Church's 
teaching  from  the  Scriptures,  it  needs  not  be  said 
again,  is  very  ancient;  and  it  is  certainly  a  valuable 
part  of  public  service.  It  is  expressly  ordered  by 
our  Church  only  in  this  place  and  in  the  opening 
rubric  of  each  of  the  Ordination  services  and  in  the 
Institution  Office. 

After  the  Sermon,  the  priest  returns  to  the  Lord's 
Table  and  begins  the  Offertory,  saying  one  or  more 
of  the  prescribed  sentences.  The  'Offertory'  is  not 
the  receiving  of  the  alms,  nor  the  alms  themselves, 
but  the  sentence  or  sentences  read  at  the  time  of 
receiving  the  offerings."  Of  these  sentences,  the 
first  and  the  last  four  were  added  at  our  revision  of 
1892;  the  rest  are  in  the  English  Book.  They  may 
be  divided  into  four  classes:  the  first  six  are 
general;  then  five  (beginning  with  'Who  goeth  a 
warfare?')  have  to  do  with  gifts  for  the  support  of 
the  clergy;  then  ten  (beginning  with  'While  we 
have  time')  are  more  appropriate  when  alms  are 
received  for  the  poor;  the  last  four  may  be  called 
oblationary  or  doxological.  A  little  study  will  show 
that  all  the  sentences  may  be  read  at  one  time  or  an- 


*  The  word  may  perhaps  also  be  used  to  include  the  oblation 
in  the  following  prayer ;  '  begin  the  offertory '  might  then 
mean  that  a  new  part  of  the  service  begins  here  ;  compare  be- 
fore Sursum  corda  the  words  '  the  Priest  shall  proceed '. 


THE  HOLY  COMMUNION— II.  183 

Other  for  the  instruction  and  encouragement  of  the 
congregation;  and  the  two  excellent  sentences  from 
Tobit  may  help  to  vindicate  our  teaching  as  to  the  use 
of  the  Apocrypha. 

Only  two  of  the  Offertory  Sentences  —  the  second 
and  the  fifth  —  besides  those  peculiar  to  our  Book, 
agree  exactly  in  reading  with  the  Authorized  Ver- 
sion ;  some  are  taken  from  Coverdale,  some  from  the 
Great  Bible,  and  some  must  have  been  specially 
translated  for  use  in  this  place. 

Both  these  Sentences  and  the  rubrics  which 
follow,  together  with  the  first  clause  of  the  Prayer 
for  the  Church,  remind  us  of  the  importance  of  the 
ancient  custom,  dating  back  to  apostolic  times,  that 
at  the  celebration  of  the  Eucharist,  when  bread  and 
wine  were  offered  for  the  Sacrament,  alms  were  also 
offered  for  the  poor.  This  presentation  of  alms  had 
long  been  nearly  extinct  in  the  West,  when  it  was 
revived  in  the  English  Church  in  the  reign  of 
Edward  VI.  The  'other  devotions  of  the  people' 
evidently  mean  gifts  for  other  purposes  than  the 
relief  of  the  poor,  such  as  the  support  of  missions, 
the  maintaining  of  divine  worship,  and  in  fact  what 
may  be  called,  in  the  language  of  the  English  rubric, 
'pious'  as  distinguished  from  'charitable'  uses.  Our 
Canons  (Canon  i6  §  II  [iv])  specially  provide  that 
"the  Alms  and  Contributions,  not  otherwise  specific- 
ally designated,  at  the  Administration  of  the  Holy 
Communion  on  one  Sunday  in  each  calendar  month, 
and  other  offerings  for  the  poor,  shall  be  deposited 


184  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 

with  the  minister  of  the  parish,  or  with  such  church 
officer  as  shall  be  appointed  by  him,  to  be  applied  by 
the  minister,  or  under  his  superintendence,  to  such 
pious  and  charitable  uses  as  shall  by  him  be  thought 
fit."  They  also  (Canon  16  §  II  [i])  declare  it  to  be 
the  duty  of  ministers  to  give  suitable  opportunities 
for  offerings  to  maintain  the  missionary  work  of  the 
Church  at  home  and  abroad.^  The  basin  with  the 
alms  is  to  be  'humbly  presented  and  placed  upon  the 
Holy  Table',  where  it  should  remain  at  least  until 
after  the  prayer  has  been  offered  for  the  acceptance 
of  the  alms.  At  the  Offertory,  as  indicated  by  the 
wording,  the  distinctive  service  of  the  priest  begins 
The  bread  and  wine  for  the  Communion  are  next 
to  be  placed  upon  the  Table.  This  is  the  First 
Oblation  or  the  Offerings  of  the  First  Fruits,  'Ob- 
latio  Primitiarum\  originally  taken  out  of  the  gifts 
brought  by  the  people  in  kind;  later  the  parishioners 
in  England  provided  the  bread  and  wine  in  turn; 
now  they  are  provided  at  the  charges  of  the  parish. 
At  the  consecration  of  the  English  Sovereign,  he  him- 
self offers  to  the  Archbishop  the  elements  for  the 
Communion,  and  that  before  he  makes  his  offerings 
of  cloth  of  gold  and  a  gold  ingot.  Our  Book  says 
nothing  as  to  the  kind  of  bread  which  is  to  be  pro- 


®The  Liturgy  for  Scotland,  1637,  provided  that  of  the  offer- 
ings at  the  Communion,  "one  half  shall  be  to  the  use  of  the 
Presbyter,  to  provide  him  books  of  holy  divinity ;  the  other 
half  shall  be  faithfully  kept  and  employed  on  some  pious  and 
charitable  use,  for  the  decent  furnishing  of  that  Church,  or  the 
public  relief  of  their  poor." 


THE  HOLY  COMMUNION— II.  185 

vided.  No  one  could  doubt  that,  as  the  English 
rubric  says,  it  should  be  "the  best  and  purest  wheat 
bread  that  conveniently  may  be  gotten";  and  it 
would  seem  that  the  priest  is  at  liberty  to  follow  the 
custom  of  the  Western  Church  in  the  use  of  un- 
leavened bread  ^^  or  that  of  the  Eastern  Church  in 
using  leavened.  It  is  a  very  ancient  custom,  dating 
back  to  Justin  Martyr,  and  doubtless  derived  from 
the  Passover  use,  that  a  little  water  should  be  mixed 
with  the  wine;  it  has  sometimes  been  done  in  the 
sacristy  before  the  elements  were  brought  into  the 
church,  and  sometimes  at  this  point  of  the  service. 
The  latest  decision  in  England,  that  of  the  Arch- 
bishop of  Canterbury  in  the  case  of  the  Bishop  of 
Lincoln  (see  Bibliography),  has  been  that  the  mix- 
ture when  practised  should  be  at  the  earlier  time;  in 
this  country  Bishop  Seabury's  rubric  after  the  pre- 
sentation of  the  alms  is  often  followed:  "The  Priest 
shall  then  offer  up  and  place  the  bread  and  wine  pre- 
pared for  the  sacrament  upon  the  Lord's  Table,  put- 
ting a  little  pure  water  into  the  cup."  "     The  actual 


"Mr.  Fortescue  tells  us  that  it  was  not  until  the  eighth  cen- 
tury that  unleavened  bread  gradually  came  into  use  in  the  West. 

"  The  Bishop  of  Vermont,  to  whom  I  am  also  indebted  for 
other  suggestions  and  corrections,  reminds  me  that  the  follow- 
ing declaration  was  made  by  the  House  of  Bishops  in  1886: 
"That  the  mixture  of  water  with  the  eucharistic  wine  is  lawful, 
and  in  conformity  with  the  usages  of  the  Catholic  Church,  and 
that  there  is  no  objection  to  the  use  of  the  mixed  cup,  pro- 
viding the  mingling  be  not  ritually  introduced  until  it  be  author- 
ized by  the  rubric." 


1 86  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

presentation  of  the  bread  and  wine  should,   by  the 
rubric,  follow  that  of  the  alms. 

An  interesting  question  arises  here:  Does  the 
word  'oblations'  in  the  Prayer  for  the  Church,  and 
also  in  the  preceding  rubric  (which  dates  only  from 
our  last  revision),  refer  to  the  elements  of  bread  and 
wine  now  presented  on  the  altar  for  the  purpose  of 
consecration,  or  does  it  mean  the  'other  devotions'  of 
the  people  or  perhaps  merely  duplicate  the  word 
'alms'  ?  The  words  'and  oblations*  in  the  prayer  and 
'or  oblations'  in  the  side-note  were  first  inserted  in 
1662,  at  which  time  also  the  sentence  as  to  the  pre- 
sentation of  the  bread  and  wine  was  inserted  as  a  ru- 
bric; and  this  seems  to  show  that  the  presented  ele- 
ments were  meant  by  the  'oblations'.  But  a  careful 
historical  study,"  as  Bishop  Dowden  and  others  have 
shown,  makes  it  evident  that  the  word  'oblations' 
was  constantly  used  of  offerings  of  money;  and 
probably  Scudamore  is  right  in  saying  that  "by  'alms 
and  oblations'  are  meant  the  offerings  of  the  people  of 
whatever  kind,  and  therefore  including  the  bread  and 
wine  which  the  priest  has  now  placed  upon  the  Holy 
Table."  Still,  the  phraseology  of  the  new  American 
rubric  and  such  American  custom  as  can  be  quoted 
seem  to  justify  us  in  omitting  the  words  'alms  and' 
and  saying  simply  'to  accept  our  oblations'  in  the 
Prayer  for  the  Church  when  there  has  been  no  collec- 
tion of  alms  but  the  elements  for  the  Communion  have 


"Further  Studies,  pp.  176  ff. 


THE  HOL  Y  COMMUNION—  II.  187 

been  presented.  Even  if  the  alms  are  not  received, 
one  of  the  sentences  is  to  be  read  for  the  'Offer- 
tory'. 

The  presentation  of  the  bread  and  wine  at  this 
time,  unless  indeed  they  are  now  brought  from  the 
sacristy,  assumes  the  use  of  a  credence  or  prepara- 
tion table  or  stand  or  shelf  on  which  they  may  be 
placed  before  or  at  the  beginning  of  the  service  and 
from  which  they  may  be  brought  when  the  alms  have 
been  presented.  The  word  ^credentia'  in  late  Latin, 
Uredenza'  in  Italian,  seems  first  used  as  a  side 
'board'  or  table  at  which  food  was  prepared  and 
tasted,  to  give  trust  or  confidence  to  those  to  whom  it 
was  to  be  served.  For  a  long  time  credences  were  not 
common  in  churches;  Archbishop  Laud  was  blamed 
for  having  one  in  his  chapel.  Until  the  compara- 
tively recent  revival  of  ecclesiastical  architecture, 
few  churches  had  credences  fixed  to  the  walls,  but 
there  were  some  in  which  movable  stands  were  used 
on  Communion  Sundays. 

A  Hymn  or  an  Offertory  Anthem  may  be  sung 
'when  the  alms  and  oblations  are  presented'.  Is  the 
verb  present,  as  if  it  were  'are  in  process  of  presen- 
tation', 'are  presenting'  >.  or  is  it  perfect,  as  meaning 
that  the  singing  may  find  place  when  the  alms  and 
oblations  'have  been  presented'  ?  In  either  case,  it 
will  not  cover  what  is  popularly  known  as  an  'Anthem' 
sung  while  the  deacons,  wardens,  or  others  are  receiv- 
ing the  alms.  Such  an  Anthem  is  evidently  extra- 
rubrical,  as  might  be  a  'voluntary'  on  the  organ  while 


188  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

the  clergyman  was  passing  from  the  pulpit  to  the 
chancel  or  withdrawing  to  the  robing-room. 

The  English  Book  since  1552  has  bidden  to  the 
Great  Intercession  with  the  words,  "Let  us  pray  for 
the  whole  state  of  Christ's  Church  militant  here  in 
earth";  whereas  the  Book  of  1549  and  the  Scottish 
Ofifices  had  "Let  us  pray  for  the  whole  state  of 
Christ's  Church".  Our  Book  retains  the  word  'mili- 
tant' ;  the  words  'here  in  earth'  had  become  not  quite 
accurate  after  the  present  memorial  of  the  departed 
was  added  in  1662. 

The  Exhortation  is  one  —  and  as  coming  from  the 
Order  of  the  Communion  of  1548  the  first  —  of  the 
brief  homilies  introduced  into  the  English  Prayer 
Book  by  way  of  instruction ;  the  suggestion  for  them, 
if  indeed  any  was  needed,  came  from  the  'Consulta- 
tion' of  Archbishop  Hermann  of  Cologne  and  from 
like  publications.  The  beginning  of  the  introduc- 
tory rubric,  'At  the  time  of  the  Celebration  of  the 
Communion',  is  explained  by  the  fact  that  for  a  long 
time  the  Warnings  stood  in  this  place,  following  the 
part  of  the  service  which  by  the  English  rubric  was 
to  be  used  on  every  Sunday  or  Holy-day  even  if  there 
was  to  be  no  celebration  of  the  Sacrament.  In  our 
Book  the  Exhortation  has  been  shortened,  largely  by 
the  omission  of  minatory  clauses  liable  to  be  mis- 
understood ;  it  is  an  admirable  statement  of  the 
proper  moral  and  spiritual  preparation  for  receiving 
the  Sacrament,  an  encouragement  to  those  who  can 
humbly  trust  that  they  come  in  a  worthy  manner,  with 


THE  HOL  Y  COMMUNION—  II.  1 89 

a  statement  of  the  relations  of  the  Sacrament  to  the 
great  truths  of  the  Incarnation  and  the  Atonement, 
and  of  the  purpose  of  the  Lord's  ordinance.  The 
rubric  evidently  intends  that  it  shall  be  read  on  the 
Sunday  at  the  beginning  of  each  month,  when  there 
is  generally  the  largest  body  of  communicants  present, 
even  if  it  is  omitted  on  all  other  occasions;  and  the 
brief  space  of  time  which  it  requires  will  not  be 
grudged  to  it  by  any  devout  and  thoughtful  priest. 

Still  following  the  Order  of  Communion,  the  priest 
in  the  brief  and  earnest  Invitation  bids  the  communi- 
cants to  the  Confession,  gives  them  the  Absolution, 
and  adds  the  Comfortable  Words  of  Christ  and  His 
Apostles.  Note  has  been  made  already  of  the  use  of 
capital  letters  in  the  Confession,  to  mark  the  begin- 
ning of  each  pause  or  suspension  of  the  voice  in  the 
recital  of  the  words,  which  certainly  ought  not  to  be 
said  hurriedly;  and  of  the  special  solemnity  which  the 
Church  has  always  believed  to  be  attached  to  the  use 
of  the  'precatory'  form  of  Absolution.  (See  pages 
75,  76.)  The  Comfortable  Words  —  and  'comfort- 
able' in  1548  meant  'strengthening'  more  than  'con- 
soling'—  were  especially  translated  for  the  service. 
Their  separate  meaning  should  be  noted:  the  first  is 
Christ's  call  to  all  who  need  Him,  and  His  promise 
to  them;  the  second  has  to  do  with  His  coming  into 
the  world  and  the  meaning  of  the  Incarnation;  the 
third  is  St.  Paul's  witness  to  the  Atonement;  and 
the  fourth,  St.  John's  witness  to  the  Intercession  in 
the   heavens.     With    this    the    preparation    of    the 


1 90  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

communicants   ends,    and   now   they    may    well    be 
bidden  to  thanksgiving  and  praise. 

The  part  of  the  service  which  follows  is  called  the 
^  'Anaphora',  as  the  special  act  of  worship  'offered'  to 
God;  or  the  'Canon',  as  remaining  at  all  times  un- 
changed in  accordance  with  a  fixed  'rule',  except  for 
the  Proper  Prefaces.''  The  Sursum  corda,  'Upwards 
hearts',  introduces  the  constant  Preface,  in  Anglican 
.  use  very  brief,  and  this  leads  to  the  great  Triumphal 
Hymn.  The  words,  "Hosanna  in  the  highest; 
Blessed  is  he  that  cometh  in  the  Name  of  the  Lord", 
were  brought  over  from  the  Sarum  Use  to  the  Book 
of  1549,  but  were  omitted  in  1552,  very  probably 
because  they  are  not  recorded  as  a  part  of  the  song 
of  the  angelic  host.^^ 

Of  the  Proper  Prefaces,  those  for  Easter  and  As- 
cension and  the  first  for  Trinity-Sunday  are  ancient, 
those  for  Christmas  and  Whitsunday  were  composed 
in  1549,  and  the  alternative  for  Trinity-Sunday  was 
inserted  in  the  American  Book  in  1790.  The  East- 
ern Liturgies  have  no  Proper  Prefaces;  the  Roman 
use  provides  them  for  the  Epiphany,  the  Sundays  in 
Lent  to  Passion  Sunday,  Passion  and  Palm  Sundays 
with  Maundy-Thursday,  and  certain  connected  days, 


^^  In  the  Roman  use  of  the  word,  the  Canon  does  not  begin 
until  after  the  Tersanctus,  but  certainly  that  Hymn  with  the 
Sursum  corda  should  be  reckoned  in  it. 

"  Perhaps  also  because  Hosanna  is  not  a  word  of  praise ;  it 
means  "Help,  we  pray,"  "  Help  me  now  "  (Psalm  cxviii.  25). 


THE  HOL  Y  COMMUNION—  II.  191 

besides  those  days  for  which  they  are  appointed  in 
our  Book,  and  uses  the  Trinity-Sunday  Preface  on  all 
Sundays  not  otherwise  provided  for;  it  also  has 
Prefaces  for  other  special  days  and  seasons,  most  of 
them  very  brief;  but  the  Mozarabic  Liturgy  pro- 
vided a  full  and  distinct  Preface  for  the  service  of 
each  Sunday  and  Holy-day. 

The  Prayer  of  Humble  Access,  as  we  have  come 
to  call  it,  corresponding  to  the  'Prayer  of  Bowing- 
down'  of  the  Greeks,  is  said  in  all  Liturgies,  except 
the  English  and  our  own,  immediately  before  the 
reception  of  the  Sacrament;  as  it  stands  in  our 
Book,  it  breaks  the  connection  between  the  'Glory 
be  to  Thee'  of  the  Triumphal  Hymn  sung  by  the 
priest  and  the  people,  and  the  same  words  as  the 
priest  repeats  then  at  the  beginning  of  the  Prayer 
of  Consecration;  but  it  may  be  well  considered  as  a 
sort  of  parenthesis,  the  sense  of  our  unworthiness 
bidding  us  crave  God's  mercy  once  more  before 
we  venture  into  His  nearer  presence  for  our  great 
act  of  worship. 

So  much  has  been  said  on  the  history  of  the  Prayer 
of  Consecration,  the  meaning  of  its  parts,  and  their 
primitive  order  maintained  in  our  service,  that  little 
remains  to  be  added  here.  The  words  of  the  rubric, 
'standing  before  the  Table',  seem  to  belong  not  only 
with  'hath  ordered'  but  also  with  'shall  say'.  It  may 
not  be  amiss  to  note  that  the  Words  of  Institution 
are  recited  and  the  manual  acts  performed  primarily 
before  God,  but  also  in  the  presence  and  in  behalf  of 


192  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

the  Church  assembled  before  Him.  The  version  of 
these  words  in  the  Anglican  Books  follows  St.  Paul 
more  nearly  than  the  Evangelists;  it  seems  to  have 
come  most  directly  from  a  German  source. 

The  Oblation  is  the  memorial  of  the  death  and 
passion  of  Christ  made  to  the  Father,  but  it  passes 
on  to  commemorate  the  resurrection  and  ascension, 
by  means  of  which  His  death  avails  for  the  life  of 
His  people;  and  the  Invocation  which  follows  is  a 
prayer  for  the  blessing  of  the  Holy  Spirit  whom  the 
ascended  Lord  sent  to  bring  His  life  to  the  Church. 
The  rubric  which  provides  for  a  second  consecration, 
and  the  rubric  in  the  Order  for  the  Communion  of 
the  Sick  which  gives  permission  for  a  shortened  ser- 
vice, both  show  that  in  the  judgment  of  this  Church 
the  Oblation  and  the  Invocation  are  necessary  for 
consecration.  Those  who  follow  the  teaching  main- 
tained in  these  pages  look  upon  the  parts  of  the  Con- 
secrating Prayer  as  consecutive;  those  who  attribute 
the  consecration  to  the  Words  of  Institution  with 
prayer,  consider  that  the  parts,  though  consecutive 
in  expression,  are  in  reality  simultaneous;  but  as  in 
our  Book  there  is  no  word  of  prayer  until  the  Invoca- 
tion is  reached,  they  would  agree  with  the  others 
that  all  its  parts  are  essential. 

What,  or  Who,  is  the  'Word'  through  which  as 
well  as  through  the  Holy  Spirit  it  is  asked  that  the 
blessing  and  sanctification  may  come.?  The  phrase, 
though  with  the  terms  in  reverse  order,  is  in  the 
Book   of    1549:  "With  thy  Holy  Spirit  and  Word 


THE  HOL  Y  COMMUNION— 11.  193 

vouchsafe  to  bless  and  sanctify  these  thy  gifts."" 
The  writer  has  not  found  this  phrase  in  any  office, 
Eastern  or  Western,  of  earlier  date.  It  may  be  that 
there  is  a  reference  to  our  Lord's  first  word  of  bene- 
diction at  the  institution  of  the  Eucharist,  with  a 
possible  allusion  to  i  Timothy  iv.  5,  where  'crea- 
tures of  God'  used  for  food  are  said  to  be  "sanctified 
by  the  Word  of  God  and  prayer",  as  if  it  meant  by 
God's  original  benediction  at  the  creation  and  by 
specific  prayer  at  this  time.  But  this  is  hardly  satis- 
factory. It  seems  more  probable  that  'Word'  is  here 
used  as  a  synonym  for  'Holy  Spirit'.  Justin  Martyr 
tells  us  in  a  passage,  which  follows  after  a  description 
of  Christian  worship  already  quoted,  that  "as  Jesus 
Christ  our  Saviour  was  incarnate  by  the  Word  of 
God,  and  assumed  flesh  and  blood  for  our  salvation, 
so  we  have  been  taught  that  the  food  from  which  our 
flesh  and  blood  derive  nourishment,  having  been 
blessed  [Mr.  Ffoulkes  translates,  'having  been  made 
the  Eucharist']  by  invocation  [literally,  'prayer']  of 
the  Word  which  is  from  Him,  is  both  the  flesh  and 
blood  of  that  same  Jesus  Who  was  made  flesh." 
Now  Justin  Martyr  held  that  the  Son  was  the 
Jehovah  ('Lord')  of  the  Old  Testament,  and  that 
it  was  the  Holy  Spirit  who  spake  by  the  prophets; 


^*  In  the  recently  discovered  ofl&ce-book  of  Sarapion,  Bishop 
of  Thmuis  in  Egypt  (about  350),  the  Invocation  reads:  "O  God 
of  truth,  let  thy  holy  Word  come  upon  this  bread,  that  the  bread 
may  become  body  of  the  Word,  and  upon  the  cup,  that  the  cup 
may  become  blood  of  the  Truth." 

14 


194  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

and  for  this  reason,  as  it  would  seem,  he  called  the 
Spirit  the  'Word',  using  a  title  which  later  through 
the  influence  of  St.  John's  Gospel  was  restricted  to 
the  Son.  We  do  not  know  that  Cranmer  had  a 
copy  of  Justin's  Apology,  but  he  may  well  have 
owned  or  used  one ;  and  it  would  not  be  at  all  strange 
if  from  this  first  account  and  explanation  of  the 
eucharistic  service,  he  took  for  the  Prayer  of  Conse- 
cration which  he  was  framing  for  the  first  English 
Prayer  Book  the  title  of  'Word'  for  the  Holy  Spirit 
in  the  act  of  Invocation.  "With  thy  Word  and  Holy 
Spirit"  seems  then  to  mean  "With  thy  Holy  Spirit, 
by  whom  thou  didst  speak  and  didst  effect  the  Incar- 
nation of  thy  Son." 

The  concluding  parts  of  the  prayer,  in  their  simple 
vigor  and  far-reaching  application,  call  for  no  further 
exposition  than  has  been  already  given.  The  an- 
tiquity and  importance  of  the  'Amen'  of  the  people 
have  already  been  noted. 

The  Hymn  which  may  be  sung  after  the  Prayer  of 
Consecration  may  be  non-metrical,  such  as  the 
'Agnus  Dei'  (which  however  recurs  in  the  Gloria  in 
excelsis),  or  metrical,  such  as  those  which  are  con- 
tained in  the  Hymnal.  If  the  latter,  it  may  be  a 
hymn  of  praise,  carrying  on  the  doxology  just 
spoken,  or  a  hymn  of  penitence,  in  the  ancient  place 
of  the  prayer  of  humble  access. 

The  rubric  as  to  the  administration  provides  that 
all  shall  receive  in  both  kinds,  for  this  is  evidently 
the  meaning  of  'in  like  manner';  and  that  the  ele- 


THE  HOLY  COMMUNION— II.  195 

ments  shall  be  given  'into  their  hands',  that  is  evi- 
dently that  they  shall  themselves  put  the  consecrated 
bread  into  their  mouths  and  move  the  cup  to  their 
lips;  'in  order'  cannot  refer  to  any  order  of  sex  or 
age  or  dignity  in  approaching  the  altar,  but  must 
simply  mean  'in  an  orderly  way'  (as  in  i  Corinthians 
xiv.  40).  All  are  to  receive  kneeling,  that  having 
been  for  a  long  time  the  custom  in  the  West,  and  to 
our  thoughts  most  reverent  and  practically  necessary, 
although  in  early  times  it  would  seem  that  all  stood, 
as  all  stand  in  the  Church  of  the  East  to  this  day. 
Nobody  sat,  as  the  Puritans  wished  to  make  every- 
one do,  unless  it  were  the  Pope.  The  officiating 
priest  is  not  expressly  bidden  to  kneel,  and  may 
stand  to  receive  the  Communion  which  he  has  con- 
secrated, as  was  and  is  the  Roman  rule.  Bishop 
Cosin  thought  that  the  celebrant  should  kneel  at 
receiving,  taking  the  same  posture  as  the  people; 
and  for  this  there  is  very  good  authority. 

Our  rubric  has  omitted  the  words  'to  any  one' 
after  'delivereth  the  Bread'  and  'delivereth  the  Cup', 
making  it  entirely  lawful  to  place  the  bread  in  the 
hands  of  two  or  more  persons,  or  to  present  the  cup 
to  two,  or  to  use  two  cups,  for  two  persons,  with  one 
repitition  of  the  formula.  In  administering,  at  least 
from  the  paten,  it  is  more  convenient  to  move  from 
left  to  right  (that  is  to  say,  from  east  to  west,  if 
facing  south),  following  the  path  of  the  sun  in  the  sky. 

Our  provision  for  a  second  consecration,  although 
it  uses  the  words  'Bread  or  Wine',  really  supposes 


1%  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

that  there  is  to  be  a  consecration  of  both  elements; 
otherwise  part  of  the  prescribed  words  became  mean- 
ingless. The  priest,  therefore,  when  the  wine  has 
failed,  should  consecrate  a  bit  of  bread  with  the 
wine  required  for  the  remaining  communicants  and 
vice  versa;  where  the  possible  need  of  this  can  be 
foreseen,  some  of  each  element  should  be  kept  un- 
consecrated.  That,  in  case  of  a  small  deficiency, 
water  or  unconsecrated  wine  may  be  added  as  a 
*medium'  for  the  administration  of  that  which  has 
been  consecrated,  can  hardly  be  doubted,  however 
undesirable  this  may  be  as  a  custom,  for  each  com- 
municant is  sure  to  receive  a  portion  of  the  conse- 
crated element.  The  English  provision  for  a  second 
consecration  of  either  element,  by  the  bare  repetition 
of  the  Words  of  Institution  for  that  element,  without 
a  syllable  of  prayer,  can  hardly  be  justified  by  anyone. 
The  rubric  as  to  placing  upon  the  Lord's  Table 
what  remains  of  the  consecrated  elements  and  cover- 
ing them  with  a  fair  linen  cloth  or  veil,  dates  from 
the  Scottish  Book  of  1637  and  the  English  Book  of 
1662;  it  is  a  distinctly  Anglican  provision,  to  keep 
part  of  the  consecrated  gifts  on  the  altar  until  after 
the  Blessing.  In  the  Roman  use,  the  priest  receives 
all  of  the  consecrated  wine,  and  all  of  the  conse- 
crated bread  which  is  not  administered  or  espec- 
ially reserved,  and  cleanses  the  vessels  at  this  point, 
before  he  proceeds  with  the  service.  The  word 
'Minister'  here  and  in  the  following  rubric  is  evi- 
dently used  for  'Priest'. 


THE  HOL  Y  COMMUNION—  II.  1 97 

The  Lord's  Prayer  follows,  in  its  Anglican  posi- 
tion ;  and  then  is  said  the  Thanksgiving,  composed 
in  1549,  containing  an  acknowledgment  of  the  spirit- 
ual benefits  of  the  Sacrament  and  a  prayer  for  grace 
to  continue  in  the  fellowship  of  the  Church  and  to  do 
the  good  works  appointed  for  God's  people. 

Gloria  in  excelsis  is  then  said  or  sung  in  the  place 
to  which  it  was  assigned  in  1552.  Its  first  strain, 
the  Hymn  of  the  Angels  at  the  Lord's  Nativity,  is 
found  in  the  Liturgy  of  St.  James;  the  enlarged  text 
is  found  in  one  form  in  the  Apostolic  Constitutions 
(about  350),  and  in  another  form  nearer  our  own  at 
the  end  of  the  Psalter  in  the  Greek  Bible  known  as 
the  Codex  Alexandrinus  written  about  the  year  450. 
The  oldest  Latin  text  is  some  three  centuries  later, 
and  it  is  from  this  that  the  'Angelic  Hymn',  as  it  is 
called,  passed  into  the  English  Book  and  our  own. 
The  Scottish  Communion  Office  has  the  Hymn 
translated  from  the  Greek  text.  In  the  East,  where 
it  bears  the  name  of  the  'Great  Doxology',  it  is  and 
long  has  been  a  daily  morning  hymn.  In  the  West 
it  was  introduced  into  the  eucharistic  service  for  use 
on  the  Lord's  Day  and  festivals  if  a  Bishop  was 
present,  or  on  Easter-day  without  the  presence  of  a 
Bishop;  later  any  priest  was  allowed  to  say  it  on  the 
days  for  which  it  was  appointed.  The  English 
Church  has  said  it  at  every  Eucharist  since  her  ser- 
vice was  translated,  at  first  in  the  Roman  position  at 
the  beginning  of  the  service,  but  since  1552  after  the 
Thanksgiving  at  the  end.     Our  Church  has  allowed 


198  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

the  substitution  of  a  'Hymn  from  the  Selection'  (or, 
in  modern  phraseology,  from  the  Hymnal)  for  the 
Gloria,  probably  on  account  of  the  great  difficulty  felt 
in  this  country  for  a  long  time  as  to  chanting;  the 
substitution  is  sometimes  made,  by  way  of  flexibility, 
'for  the  purpose  of  discriminating  days  and  seasons'. 
The  Hymn,  which  was  at  first,  as  already  noted,  a 
commemoration  of  the  Nativity,  has  grown  to  be  of 
threefold  structure,  its  parts  in  an  interesting  way 
parallel  to  the  three  Comfortable  Words  in  which  the 
thought  of  the  first  of  those  Words  finds  application. 
For  its  second  part,  addressed  to  God  the  Son,  is 
based  on  the  'Agnus  Dei',  the  "Lamb  of  God,  that 
taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world"  (St.  John  i.  29), 
and  confesses  His  atoning  and  redemptive  work; 
and  its  third,  introducing  the  name  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  finds  its  inspiration  in  the  declaration  made 
by  St.  Paul  (Philippians  ii.  11)  that  the  ascended 
Christ  "is  Lord,  to  the  glory  of  God  the  Father". 
Thus  it  well  stands  at  the  close  of  our  service,  help- 
ing to  make  it  in  this  element  of  thanksgiving,  as 
presently  in  that  of  blessing,  superior  to  any  other 
Communion  Office  used  on  earth. 

For  the  Blessing  which  we  use  is,  as  Mr.  Scuda- 
more  says,  "at  once  the  grandest  and  the  most 
calmly  solemn  extant."  The  first  clause  (from 
Philippians  iv.  7)  was  placed  at  the  end  of  the  Order 
of  the  Communion  in  1548;  the  second  clause,  the 
final  blessing,  was  added  in  1549.  It,  as  the  Abso- 
lution in  an  earlier  part  of  the  service,  is  to  be  said 


THE  HOL  Y  COMMUNION— II.  199 

by  the  Bishop  (of  the  diocese)  if  he  be  present, 
though  another  may  celebrate  the  service.  In  the 
hearing  of  these  solemn  words  our  faith  is  quickened, 
and  our  courage  renewed,  both  to  bear  and  to  do  for 
the  Lord's  sake. 

Five  Collects  follow:  the  first,  an  ancient  Collect 
in  the  Mass  for  travellers  starting  on  their  'way' ;  the 
third,  also  old,  where  'Direct'  takes  the  place  of  the 
obsolete  'Prevent'  (which,  by  the  way,  means  rather 
'start'  than  'guide');  and  the  second,  fourth,  and 
fifth,  composed  in  1549.  They  may  be  said  'after 
the  Collects  of  Morning  or  Evening  Prayer  or  Com- 
munion'. Now  the  only  Collects  in  the  daily  offices 
are  the  three  which  follow  the  Creed ;  and  the  only 
Collects  in  the  Communion  service  are  the  Collect 
for  Purity  at  the  beginning,  and  the  liturgical  Collect 
of  the  Day  with  the  discretionary  Collect  preceding 
it.  It  seems  evident  that  these  five  were  intended 
for  special  use  at  the  end  of  the  daily  offices  before 
the  intercessions  (which  had  not  been  inserted  in 
1549),  and  before  the  Epistle  in  the  eucharistic 
office.  An  undisputed  custom  has  ruled  that  after 
the  closing  hymn  or  a  sermon  the  minister  may  read 
any  Collect  in  the  Prayer  Book  before  dismissing  the 
people;  and  these  are  oftentimes  well  suited  for  that 
purpose. 

As  to  the  first  rubric  after  these  Collects,  enough 
has  already  been  said  (see  pages  38,  167). 

The  second  rubric  in  this  place  dates  from  Scot- 


200  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 

land  in  1637  and  from  England  in  1662,  and  as  the 
dates  show  was  directed  rather  against  profanation, 
of  which  there  was  then  a  real  danger,  than  against 
superstition.  There  is  no  question  that  from  very 
early  times  it  had  been  the  custom  to  carry  the  ele- 
ments consecrated  in  church  to  those  who  were  pre- 
vented from  attending  the  public  service;  and  there 
is  no  question  that  for  a  long  time  there  was  no  cus- 
tom in  any  place  of  reserving  the  consecrated  ele- 
ments in  church  that  they  might  be  made  an  object 
of  worship. 

The  Prayer  Book  of  1549  provided  for  the  continu- 
ance of  the  ancient  practice  of  ministration  to  the 
sick  from  the  altar  in  the  church  in  these  words, 
after  speaking  of  the  notice  to  be  given  by  a  sick 
man  to  the  priest  that  he  was  'desirous  to  receive 
the  Communion  in  his  house' :  "And  if  the  same  day 
there  be  a  celebration  of  the  Holy  Communion  in  the 
church,  then  shall  the  priest  reserve  at  the  open 
communion  so  much  of  the  Sacrament  of  the  Body 
and  Blood  as  shall  serve  the  sick  person  and  so  many 
as  shall  communicate  with  him  (if  there  be  any);  and 
as  soon  as  he  conveniently  may,  after  the  open  com- 
munion ended  in  the  church,  then  go  and  minister 
the  same,  first  to  those  that  are  appointed  to  com- 
municate with  the  sick  (if  there  be  any),  and  last  of 
all  to  the  sick  person  himself."  A  direction  was 
added  as  to  the  part  of  the  service  to  be  used.  This 
rubric  was  omitted  in  1552;  but  it  was  not  until 
more  than  a  century  later  that  the  order  was  inserted 


THE  HOLY  COMMUNION— II.  201 

here  that  none  of  the  conscerated  bread  and  wine 
remaining  at  the  end  of  the  service  should  be  carried 
out  of  the  church.  Whether  the  words  'if  any 
remain'  were  meant  to  exclude  the  setting  apart  of 
what  was  necessary  for  immediate  administration  to 
the  sick  —  in  no  accurate  sense  of  the  word  'reserva- 
tion'—  may  be  and  has  been  doubted,  in  view  of  well- 
known  facts,  both  as  to  rubrics  like-worded  in  pre- 
Reformation  Books  and  to  the  usage  allowed  by  the 
Latin  Prayer  Book  of  Queen  Elizabeth's  reign. 

On  the  other  hand,  there  has  been  no  provision  in 
the  English  Book  since  1552  and  there  is  no  provision 
in  our  own  Book  for  the  administration  of  the  Holy 
Communion  to  the  sick  except  after  a  consecration  of 
the  elements  in  the  sick  person's  house;  moreover, 
both  Books  have  a  clear  statement  as  to  spiritual 
communion  in  cases  when,  for  any  just  impediment, 
a  sick  person  cannot  receive  the  Sacrament ;  and  at 
our  last  Revision  a  rubric  was  inserted  providing  for 
a  very  brief  form  of  service,  yet  including  consecra- 
tion, which  can  be  used  when  necessary  or  expedient. 
Our  House  of  Bishops,  in  their  Pastoral  Letter  of 
1895,  said:  "The  practice  of  reserving  the  Sacra- 
ment is  not  sanctioned  by  the  law  of  this  Church, 
though  the  Ordinary  (that  is,  the  Bishop  of  the 
Diocese)  may,  in  cases  of  extreme  necessity,  author- 
ize the  reserved  Sacrament  to  be  carried  to  the 
sick."  With  this  statement,  which  does  not  declare 
that  so-called  'reservation'  for  immediate  communion 
is  unlawful,  but  suggests  that  it  needs  the  authoriza- 


202  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

tion  of  the  Ordinary,  we  may  leave  further  discus- 
sion of  a  vexed  question  to  the  authorities  on  Pas- 
toral Theology.  It  may  be  added,  however,  that  the 
usage  and  the  law  of  the  Scottish  Church  in  this 
matter  are  practically,  if  not  exactly,  the  same  as  in 
the  English  Book  of  1549.  In  its  last  version  (191 1) 
there  is  this  rubrical  provision:  "According  to  long 
existing  custom  in  the  Scottish  Church,  the  Presbyter 
may  reserve  so  much  of  the  consecrated  Gifts  as  may 
be  required  for  the  Communion  of  the  sick  and  others 
who  could  not  be  present  at  the  Celebration  in 
Church.  All  that  remaineth  of  the  Holy  Sacrament 
and  is  not  so  required,  the  Presbyter  and  such  other 
of  the  Communicants  as  he  shall  then  call  unto  him 
shall,  after  the  Blessing,  reverently  eat  and  drink." 

The  Warnings,  or  formal  notices  of  intention  to 
celebrate  the  Holy  Communion,  are  now  printed  at 
the  end  of  the  service.  The  first  dates  from  the 
Order  of  1548,  the  second  from  the  Book  of  1552. 
They  are  full  of  instruction ;  and  however  the  rubric 
is  interpreted  as  to  the  necessity  of  reading  them 
before  each  celebration  of  the  Sacrament,  they 
should  not  be  neglected. 

The  Communion  of  the  Sick 

It  seems  well  to  bring  in  here,  though  out  of 
Prayer  Book  order,  a  few  notes  on  the  directions  for 
administering  the  Holy  Communion  to  the  sick,  to 
which,  indeed,  preceding  paragraphs  refer. 


THE  HOL  V  COMMUNION—  II.  203 

The  long  rubric  at  the  beginning  should  be  care- 
fully read,  and  also  the  rubrics  which  follow  the 
Gospel.  It  will  appear  that  the  service  as  ordinarily 
provided  begins  with  the  special  Collect,  Epistle, 
and  Gospel;  and  that  after  the  Gospel  the  priest 
(called  here  inadvertently  the  'minister')  is  to  pass 
to  the  Invitation  and  then  to  proceed  with  the  service 
without  change  from  the  ordinary  form ;  and  at  the 
administration  the  sick  person  is  to  be  the  last  to 
receive,  probably  to  remove  fear  of  infection.  But 
(see  last  rubric)  when  persons  are  kept  at  home  by 
age  or  infirmity,  which  is  not  of  the  nature  of  acute 
sickness,  the  Collect,  Epistle,  and  Gospel  for  the 
day  may  be  used;  and  (see  third  rubric  after  the 
Gospel)  when  it  is  necessary  to  make  the  service  as 
brief  as  possible,  only  its  absolutely  necessary  parts 
need  be  used.  What  is  considered  necessary  should 
be  carefully  noted:  the  preparation  by  confession  and 
absolution ;  the  eucharistic  act  of  praise ;  the  conse- 
cration of  the  elements  completed  by  the  Invocation; 
then  the  administration,  followed  by  the  Lord's 
Prayer  and  the  Blessing.  Without  doubt,  in  any  of 
these  cases  other  parts  of  the  service  may  be  re- 
tained, as  the  Creed  after  the  Gospel,  or  the  Prayer 
for  the  Church,  or  (in  the  case  last  mentioned)  the 
Gloria  in  excelsis.  The  opening  rubric  requires  that 
there  shall  be  two  at  least  to  communicate  with  the 
sick  person;  and  this  may  be  interpreted  to  mean 
one  beside  the  priest;  but  the  next  to  the  last  rubric 
allows  the  priest  alone  to  comunicate  with  the  sick 


204  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

person  under  extreme  circumstances.  The  intention 
doubtless  is  to  have  a  real  representation  of  the 
Church  and  to  avoid  all  semblance  of  the  'solitary- 
masses'  which  were  an  abuse  of  the  Sacrament. 
Certainly  no  one  could  blame  a  priest  for  acting 
on  the  principle  of  the  next  to  the  last  rubric, 
even  in  a  case  which  did  not  fall  under  the  latter; 
yet,  as  Bishop  Hall  says,  "the  Church  assumes 
the  responsibility  of  allowing  various  hindrances 
to  stand  in  the  way  of  an  actual  Sacramental  Com- 
munion." 

Where  such  hindrances  do  exist,  the  Church  tells 
the  minister — who  may  for  this  purpose  be  a  dea- 
con or  a  layman  —  to  call  upon  the  sick  person  to 
make  an  act  of  spiritual  communion,  or  in  the  old 
phrase  to  seek  the  benefit  of  the  Sacrament  in  voto. 
This  is  in  no  sense  a  modern  teachirig;  it  was  in  the 
present  form  in  the  Book  of  1549,  and  was  taken 
from  the  ancient  Sarum  Use,  in  which  under  these 
circumstances  the  priest  was  bidden  to  say  to  the 
sick  man,  "Brother,  in  this  case  a  true  faith  sufficeth 
thee,  and  a  good  will;  believe  only,  and  thou  hast 
eaten";  and  the  last  clause  was  borrowed  from  St. 
Augustine  in  his  comment  on  St.  John  vi.  29. 

It  remains  only  to  note  that  the  provision  that  the 
Visitation  Office  is  to  be  'cut  off  at  the  Psalm'  when 
Holy  Communion  is  to  follow,  means  that  the  Visi- 
tation Service  is  to  be  said  through  the  prayer  of 
reconciliation  ('O  most  merciful  God')  and  up  to  the 
Psalm ;  but  in  practice  this  will  rarely  occur. 


THE  HOL  V  COMMUNION— 11.  205 

BIBLIOGRAPHY  FOR  THE  COMMUNION  SERVICE 

Editions  of  the  Prayer  Book,  and  works  on  the  whole 
Prayer  Book  already  noted. 

Editions  of  the  Greek,  Roman,  Sarum,  and  Mozarabic  Litur- 
gies.    The  following  are  among  the  most  accessible  and  helpful : 

Hammond  (C.  E.),  Liturgies  Eastern  and  Western,  with  In- 
troduction, etc.  All  in  Greek  or  Latin  except  the  Armenian 
Liturgy.  Later  editions  have  the  Ancient  Liturgy  of  Antioch, 
from  the  writings  of  St.  Chrysostom.  This  handy  volume  has 
been  displaced  for  the  Greek  Liturgies  by  — 

Brightman  (F.  E.),  on  the  basis  of  the  former  work  by  Ham- 
mond (C.  E.),  Liturgies  Eastern  and  Western,  with  Introduction 
and  Appendices.  Vol.  I,  Eastern  Liturgies.  The  Greek  Lit- 
urgies are  given  in  the  original ;  the  others  are  translated  into 
English.  Very  learned  and  helpful ;  the  standard  book  on  the 
subject.    Vol.  II  has  not  been  published. 

Brett  (Thomas).  A  Collection  of  Liturgies,  translated  into 
EngUsh,  with  a  Dissertation  upon  them.  An  old  book  (1720),  re- 
printed at  least  once  (1838),  with  all  the  important  Eastern  Lit- 
urgies, the  Roman,  the  Enghsh  of  1549,  and  the  Nonjurors'  of 
17 18.    Well  worth  purchasing  when  it  appears  in  a  catalogue. 

Neale  (J.  M.),  The  Liturgies  of  S.  Mark,  S.  James,  S.  Clem- 
ent, S.  Chrysostom,  S.  Basil,  and  the  formula  of  the  Apostolic 
Constitutions,  in  the  original  Greek. 

Neale  (J.  M.)  and  Littledale  (R.  F.),  The  Liturgies  of  SS. 
Mark,  James,  Clement,  Chrysostom,  and  Basil,  and  the  Church 
of  Malabar,  translated  into  English.  In  an  appendix  are  the 
formulae  of  Institution  in  eighty-two  different  Liturgies,  trans- 
lated.   Very  convenient  and  useful. 

Neale  (J.  M.),  A  History  of  the  Holy  Eastern  Church.  Part 
I,  General  Introduction  (in  two  volumes).  A  mine  of  litur- 
gical information,  and  a  monument  of  liturgical  learning. 

Rattray  (Bishop  Thomas),  The  Ancient  Liturgy  of  the 
Church  of  Jerusalem,  being  the  Liturgy  of  St.  James,  with  an 
English  translation  and  notes.  Not  easily  found,  but  worthy  of 
special  note  for  its  indirect  influence  on  our  American  Book. 


206  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 

Neale  (J.  M.),  Tetralogia  Liturgica:  sive  S.  Chryscstomi,  S. 
Jacobi,  S.  Marci,  Divinas  Missas ;  quibus  accedit  Ordo  Mo- 
zarabicus.     In  the  original,  in  parallel  columns.     Very  valuable. 

Swainson  (C.  A.),  The  Greek  Liturgies,  chiefly  from  the 
original  authorities.  Valuable  as  furnishing  material  for  a 
critical  text  and  showing  the  approximate  date  of  interpolations. 

Robertson  (J.  N.  W.  B.),  The  Divine  and  Sacred  Liturgies 
of  our  Fathers  among  the  Saints,  John  Chrysostom  and  Basil 
the  Great.  In  Greek  and  English,  with  all  the  rubrics,  on  op- 
posite pages  of  small  size.  This  book,  published  in  1886,  ap- 
pears to  be  displaced  by  the  much  larger — 

Robertson  (J.N.  W.  B.),  The  Divine  Liturgies  of  our  Fath- 
ers among  the  Saints,  John  Chrysostom  and  Basil  the  Great, 
with  that  of  the  Pre-sanctified,  preceded  by  the  Hesperinos  and 
the  Orthros  (Vigil  and  Matin  services).  In  Greek  and  Eng- 
lish, with  all  the  rubrics,  on  opposite  pages.  Beautifully  printed, 
well  translated,  a  thick  but  handy  volume,  and  altogether  the 
most  useful  book  for  those  who  can  have  but  one  at  hand. 
(Published  by  David  Nutt,  London.) 

The  Leonine  Sacramentary,  edited  by  Feltoe,  was  pubHshed 
at  Cambridge  in  1896 ;  the  Gelasian  Sacramentary,  edited  by 
Wilson,  at  Oxford  in  1894  ;  the  Sarum  Missal,  at  Burntisland, 
in  1 86 1. 

The  Henry  Bradshaw  Society  has  reprinted  the  Roman 
Missal  as  it  stands  in  the  first  Known  printed  edition  of  1474. 
The  Missal  as  now  used  can  be  readily  obtained  ;  and  a  trans- 
lation of  practically  the  whole  work  is  in  Lewis  (George),  The 
Bible,  the  Missal,  and  the  Breviary  (1833).  The  Sarum  Missal 
has  been  translated  by  Dr.  Harford  Pearson  (1884). 

Maskell  (William),  The  Ancient  Liturgy  of  the  Church  of 
England,  according  to  the  uses  of  Sarum,  Bangor,  York,  and 
Hereford,  and  the  Modern  Roman  Liturgy,  arranged  in  parallel 
columns.  In  the  original,  with  full  notes.  The  second  edition 
(1846)  is  better  than  the  first. 

Scudamore  (W.  E.),  Notitia  Eucharistica.  A  very  full  and 
learned  commentary  on  the  Communion  Office,  unfortunately  out 
of  print.    The  second  edition  is  more  valuable  than  the  first. 


THE  HOL  Y  COMMUNION—  II.  207 

Bulley  (Frederic),  A  Tabular  View  of  the  Variations  in  the 
Communion  and  Baptismal  Offices  of  the  Church  of  England, 
1 549-1662,  with  the  Scotch  Prayer  Book  of  1637. 

Skinner  (John),  The  Office  for  the  Sacrament  of  the  Lord's 
Supper,  according  to  the  use  of  the  Episcopal  Church  in 
Scotland.  With  dissertation,  notes,  and  a  collation  of  offices 
drawn  up  by  Bishop  Horsley. 

Dowden  (Bishop  John),  An  Historical  Account  of  the 
Scottish  Communion  Office  and  of  the  Communion  Office  of  the 
Church  in  the  United  States  ;  with  liturgical  notes  and  reprints. 
A  book  of  great  learning,  interesting  and  valuable. 

Benson  (Archbishop  E.  W.),  Judgment  in  the  case  of  Read 
and  others  vs.  the  Lord  Bishop  of  Lincoln,  1890.  A  learned  in- 
vestigation of  rubrics  and  usages  in  disputed  matters. 

Sprott  (George  W.,  Scottish  Presbyterian),  Scottish  Liturgies 
of  the  reign  of  James  VL  Reference  may  be  made  also  to  the 
same  author's  The  Worship  and  Offices  of  the  Church  of 
Scotland. 

Ffoulkes  (E.  S.),  Primitive  Consecration  of  the  Eucharistic 
Oblation.  Also,  the  same  author's  article  on  the  Eucharist  in 
the  Dictionary  of  Christian  Biography,  etc.     Of  great  learning. 

Gummey  (H.  R.),  The  Consecration  of  the  Eucharist.  From 
the  point  of  view  of  the  American  Office. 

Pullan  (Leighton),  The  Christian  Tradition  (in  Oxford 
Library  of  Practical  Theology).  Chapter  V,  The  Genius  of 
Western  Liturgies.    Valuable  to  the  student. 

Gore  (Bishop  Charles),  The  Body  of  Christ.  Primarily 
doctrinal,  but  with  helpful  liturgical  application. 

Stone  (Darwell),  The  Holy  Communion  (in  Oxford  Library 
of  Practical  Theology).  Chiefly  doctrinal.  See  also  the  same 
author's  large  work  on  the  History  of  the  Doctrine  of  the  Holy 
Eucharist,  and  his  Outlines  of  Christian  Dogma,  Chapter  XIL 

Hedley  (Bishop  John  C),  The  Holy  Eucharist.  A  modern 
Roman  work,  well  worth  reading,  with  special  chapters  on  the 
Liturgy  and  the  Mass  at  the  present  day. 


208  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 

Fortescue  (Adrian),  The  Mass  (1912).  In  the  same  series  as 
the  last  named  work,  called  the  Westminster  Library ;  it  is  a 
great  store  of  historical  information. 

Milligan  (William,  Scottish  Presbyterian),  The  Ascension 
and  Heavenly  Priesthood  of  our  Lord.  A  work  of  great  value 
and  interest.  Lectures  V  and  VI  deal  in  part  with  the  Eu- 
charist. 

Dale  (R.  W.,  English  Congregationalist) ,  Essays  and 
Addresses.  Lecture  VII  is  on  the  Doctrine  of  the  Real 
Presence  and  of  the  Lord's  Supper. 

There  are  many  other  works,  doctrinal,  devotional,  and  con- 
troversial, which  deal  with  the  great  subject  of  the  Eucharist, 
from  a  standpoint  in  part  liturgical.  It  must  suffice  to  have 
pointed  out  those  which  seem  to  be  of  special  value  to  a  student 
of  our  Prayer  Book  service. 


IX. 

THE  MINISTRATION  OF  BAPTISM 

Public  Baptism  of  Infants 

MUCH  is  said,  and  much  implied,  in  the  New 
Testament  as  to  the  importance  of  Baptism 
and  as  to  its  benefits  and  its  obligations.  But  we 
are  told  little  as  to  the  manner  of  its  ministration, 
except  that  it  was  with  water,  as  was  the  Jewish 
baptism  of  proselytes;  and  we  read  that  our  Lord 
commanded  that  it  be  "into  [or  "in"]  the  Name  of 
the  Father  and  the  Son  and  the  Holy  Spirit"; 
making  as  He  spoke  a  new  revelation  of  the  God- 
head. We  learn  also  that  its  symbolism  was  that  of 
a  burial  with  Christ  by  baptism  into  His  death  and 
a  resurrection  with  Him  unto  newness  of  life 
(Romans  vi.  3,  4);  that  it  was  looked  upon  as  an  act 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  admitting  to  the  Christian  body 
or  Church  (i  Cor,  xii.  13),  and  that  it  was  called  a 
'regeneration',  that  is  a  'new  birth',  or  (more  accu- 
rately) a  'new  begetting'  (Titus  iii.  5).  We  do  not 
find  the  Lord's  baptismal  formula  repeated  in  the 
Acts  or  the  Epistles;  the  phrases  in  the  Acts  are  "in 
[eV]  the  Name  of  Jesus  Christ"  (ii.  3,  x.  48),  and 
"into  [ek]  the  Name  of  Jesus  Christ"  (viii.  16,  xix.  3). 
But  in  the  last  case,  at  Ephesus,  we  find  St.  Paul 
expressing  his  surprise  that  persons  could  have 
been  baptized  without  hearing  the  name  of  the  Holy 
15 


210  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 

Spirit;  and  the  fact  that  in  the  Didache  (before  the 
year  lOo)  and  in  Justin  Martyr  (about  the  year  157) 
we  find  the  Lord's  words  as  the  form  of  minis- 
tration, and  that  they  have  continued  to  be  used 
throughout  the  Church,  assures  us  that  the  ex- 
pressions in  the  Acts  imply  all  that  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  commanded. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  baptism  was  ordinarily 
either  by  immersion  in  water  after  the  manner  of  a 
bath  or  by  pouring  water  over  the  body  after  the 
manner  of  a  burial;'  the  evidence  of  pictures  in  the 
catacombs  and  elsewhere  leads  us  to  think  that  the 
latter  was  more  common.  It  would  seem  quite  cer- 
tain that  some  confession  of  faith  was  required 
from  those  who  were  baptized ;  though  the  words  in 
Acts  viii.  37,  in  which  Philip  requires  of  the  Ethiopian 
chamberlain  that  he  declare  his  belief  and  he  replies 
by  acknowledging  his  belief  that  Jesus  Christ  is  the 
Son  of  God,  are  not  in  the  most  ancient  manuscripts, 
yet  they  are  an  interpolation  of  an  early  date,  being 
quoted  by  Irenaeus  about  the  year  200,  and  testify  to 
a  custom  or  requirement  which  has  been  and  is  uni- 
versal. 'Sealing'  and  'anointing'  are  mentioned  in 
apparent  connection  with  baptism  —  both  terms  in  2 
Corinthians  i.  21,  22,  the  former  in  Ephesians  i.  13, 
iv.  3,  and  the  latter  in  i  John  ii.  20,  27;  if  the  words 
are  not  used  quite  figuratively,  'sealing'  may  refer  to 


'  Compare  Horace,  Odes,  I.  xxviii.  35,  36,  where  three  casts  of 
earth  make  a  formal  burial,  as  is  still  the  case  with  us. 


THE  MINISTRA  TION  OF  BAP  TISM  2 1 1 

the  use  of  the  sign  or  seal  of  the  Cross,  and  'anoint- 
ing' to  the  use  of  oil  or  chrism,  which  we  certainly 
find  in  early  times.  The  only  person  of  whom  we 
expressly  read  as  ministering  baptism  is  Philip  the 
Deacon  and  Evangelist  (Acts  viii),  on  whom  hands 
had  been  laid  by  the  Apostles  for  special  service; 
the  laying-on  of  hands  which  followed  baptism  was 
always  the  work  of  Apostles,  as  will  be  noted  later. 

As  we  pass  from  the  New  Testament  to  the 
records  of  the  early  Church,  we  find  that  great  care 
was  taken  for  the  admission  and  preparation  of 
'catechumens'  (that  is,  those  who  were  receiving 
instruction)  as  candidates  for  the  Sacrament;  but 
that  the  administration  of  the  Sacrament  itself  was 
with  very  simple  ceremonial,  including  little  if  any- 
thing more  than  was  mentioned  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment. Into  the  details  of  the  preparation  this  is  not 
the  place  to  enter.  It  included  renunciation  of  the 
wicked  one  and  his  works,  'exorcism'  or  prayer  for  the 
expulsion  of  evil  spirits,  examination  in  knowledge  of 
Christian  truth,  and  finally  the  teaching  of  the  Creed 
and  the  Lord's  Prayer,  with  the  'Effeta'  or  'Ephpha- 
tha'  (St.  Mark  vii.  34),  a  ceremony  which  betokened 
the  opening  of  the  ears  and  the  lips  to  hear  and  to 
confess  the  truth.  This  preparation  was  formally 
ended,  at  Rome  and  doubtless  elsewhere,  on  Easter- 
even  ;  the  Bishop  then  with  great  solemnity  blessed 
the  water  in  the  baptistery;  the  candidates  were  pre- 
sented and  declared  their  faith  by  replying  'I  believe' 
to  the  three   parts   of  an  interrogative   Creed ;  the 


212  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

Bishop  and  his  attendant  clergy  immersed  them,  or 
poured  water  over  them  as  they  stood  in  the  font; 
they  were  anointed  with  chrism,  and  the  Bishop  laid 
his  hands  on  them  with  prayer  for  Confirmation  and 
signed  them  with  the  sign  of  the  Cross.  The  Bishop 
then  passed  to  the  service  of  the  first  Eucharist  of 
Easter-day. 

All  this  had  to  do  with  the  baptism  of  adults,  and 
in  fact  most  of  those  baptized  in  the  earliest  times 
were  adults;  but  the  number  of  infants  brought  to 
baptism  must  have  soon  exceeded  the  number  of 
older  persons  prepared  as  catechumens.  The  service, 
however,  continued  in  most  respects  as  before;  the 
prayers  and  the  questionings  were  not  greatly  modi- 
fied, except  that,  there  being  no  real  catechumenate, 
the  services  of  preparation  and  of  administration 
were  condensed  into  one,  and  sponsors  made  the 
replies  on  behalf  of  the  children;  and  presently  the 
ministration  of  the  Sacrament,  in  the  case  of  adults 
restricted  practically  to  the  eve  of  Easter  or  Whit- 
sunday, was  allowed  on  any  Sunday  or  day  of  special 
service,  the  water  which  had  been  blessed  being 
always  ready  for  use  in  the  font,  but  covered  except 
at  the  time  of  roinistration.  Further,  in  West- 
ern use,  the  Bishop  being  rarely  present  at  a  baptism, 
confirmation  was  deferred,  and  that  usually  until 
the  infants  had  'reached  years  of  discretion'  or  be- 
came 'children'.  There  were  some  exceptions;  the 
Princess  Elizabeth,  afterward  Queen,  was  both  bap- 
tized and  confirmed  by  Archbishop  Cranmer   when 


THE  MINISTRA  TION  OF  BAPTISM  213 

she  was  three  days  old.  In  the  East,  where  Con- 
firmation is  administered  by  priests,  using  chrism 
blessed  by  the  Bishop,  infants  are  still  confirmed  and 
comunicated  immediately  after  their  baptism. 

By  the  time  of  the  framing  of  the  Sarum  office, 
which  was  in  use  in  England  until  the  Prayer  Book 
of  1549  was  set  forth,  adult  baptism  had  quite  passed 
out  of  use,  and  all  the  rubrics  in  the  baptismal  ser- 
vice spoke  of  infants.  The  priest  met  the  child  to 
be  baptized  at  the  church  door,  asking  whether  it 
had  been  baptized,  and  demanded  its  name.  Then 
followed  the  prayers  and  ceremonies  for  making 
and  instructing"  a  catechumen,  with  the  sign  of 
the  Cross,  prayers,  exorcism,  the  Gospel  from  St. 
Matthew  (xix.  13  ff.)  followed  by  'Effeta',  and  the 
Creed.  The  child  was  then  brought  into  the  church, 
the  questions  as  to  renunciation  and  desire  of  bap- 
tism were  put,  and  the  child  was  thrice  immersed, 
anointed,  clad  in  a  white  robe  called  a  'chrisom',^ 
and  given  a  lighted  taper.  The  service  was  ended 
with  an  exhortation  to  the  sponsors. 

For  the  Prayer  Book  of  1549,  some  of  the  minor 
ceremonies  were  omitted,  and  an  exhortation  and 
prayer  from  Archbishop  Hermann  were  prefixed  to 
the  part  of  the  service  said  at  the  door.  The  Gospel 
was  taken  from  St.   Mark  (x.   13  ff.)  instead  of  St. 


'  See  the  New  Dictionary  for  the  use  of  this  word.  A 
'  chrisom  child '  was  a  child  who  died  soon  after  baptism,  while 
still  wearing  its  baptismal  robe  ;  but  by  a  strange  perversion, 
the  words  came  to  mean  a  child  who  died  unbaptized. 


214  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

Matthew  —  an  excellent  change  —  and  followed  by  an 
exhortation,  the  Lord's  Prayer  and  the  Creed,  and 
another  prayer.  The  child  was  then  brought  into 
the  church,  an  address  was  made  to  the  sponsors,  and 
the  questions  of  renunciation,  faith,  and  desire  of 
baptism  were  put.  Then  (at  least  once  in  a  month) 
newly-brought  water  was  blessed,  the  child  was  bap- 
tized either  by  triple  immersion  or  (if  it  were  weak) 
by  'affusion'  (pouring),  clad  in  a  chrisom,  and 
anointed;  and  the  service  ended  as  before.  In 
1552,  the  service  was  brought  into  nearly  its  present 
form.  It  was  then  ordered  that  all  should  be  said  at 
the  font,  and  the  order  of  making  a  catechumen 
become  an  introduction  to  the  baptismal  service. 
The  Lord's  Prayer  was  deferred  until  after  the  bap- 
tism, and  the  Creed  was  not  said  except  in  the  ques- 
tion as  to  belief.  The  four  short  Mozarabic  peti- 
tions, beginning  'O  merciful  God',  and  a  following 
prayer  were  inserted  from  the  Benediction  of  the 
Font,  and  a  short  exhortation  and  the  prayer  after 
the  baptism  with  explicit  declaration  of  the  regener- 
ation of  the  child  were  also  added.  In  place  of  the 
giving  of  the  chrisom  and  the  unction,  the  ceremony 
of  signing  with  the  Cross,  omitted  at  the  beginning 
of  the  service,  was  put  in  its  present  most  suitable 
place.  In  1662,  besides  some  changes  in  the  rubrics, 
a  question  as  to  obedience  was  added,  and  provision 
was  made  for  the  benediction  of  the  water  on  every 
occasion  of  baptism. 
The  Baptismal  Service  in  our  Prayer  Book  is  prac- 


THE  MINISTRATION  OF  BAPTISM  215 

tically  the  same  as  that  which  has  stood  in  the  Eng- 
lish Book  since  1662.  A  few  rubrical  changes  were 
made  for  our  Book  of  1790,  one  of  which  allows 
parents  to  be  admitted  as  sponsors ;  the  two  prayers 
at  the  beginning  were  made  alternative;  instead  of 
the  Creed  in  an  interrogative  form  was  placed  the 
question,  "Dost  thou  believe  all  the  Articles  of  the 
Christian  Faith,  as  contained  in  the  Apostles' 
Creed?";  *by  God's  help'  was  added  to  the  reply  to 
the  last  question ;  and  the  permission  to  pour  water 
on  the  child  instead  of  dipping  it  in  the  water  was 
left  absolute,  without  any  limitation  to  the  case  of 
weakness.  Permission  was  also  given  to  omit  the 
Gospel  and  all  that  follows  to  the  Questions,  provided 
that  all  be  read  once  in  a  month  if  there  be  a  bap- 
tism, and  also  to  omit,  at  the  desire  of  those  who 
bring  the  child,  the  signing  with  the  Cross  and  the 
form  of  words  accompanying  it,  with  the  statement, 
however,  that  "the  Church  knoweth  no  worthy  cause 
of  scruple  touching  the  same." 

Thus  our  service  contains  a  'survival'  of  the  old 
office  for  the  admission  of  a  catechumen,  a  form  for 
the  Benediction  of  the  Font  (or,  to  speak  more 
accurately,  of  the  Water),  and  a  Baptismal  Office 
proper,  with  two  exhortations  addressed  to  the  con- 
gregation and  two  addressed  to  the  sponsors.  Its 
outline  is  ancient:  part  of  the  prayers,  as  the  second 
at  the  beginning,  'Almighty  and  immortal  God',  and 
(in  part  at  least)  the  prayer  of  benediction,  with  the 


216  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

suggestion  of  the  exhortation  at  the  end,  are  from  the 
Sarum  use;  the  four  short  prayers  preceding  that  last 
mentioned,  'O  merciful  God',  are  from  the  ancient 
Spanish  use,  known  as  'Mozarabic';  and  the  two  be- 
ginning 'Almighty  and  everlasting  God'  are  from 
Hermann's  project  of  reform,  called  the  'Consulta- 
tion', to  which  also  are  due  in  great  part  the  exhor- 
tations before  the  baptism.  It  is  full  of  meaning  and 
deserves  careful  study,  and  might  well  serve  the  pur- 
poses of  extended  instruction. 

A  few  words  may  be  added  as   to   some  of   the 
rubrics  and  as  to  certain  phases  in  the  service. 

Attention  should  be  called  to  the  provision,  in  the 
next  to  the  last  rubric  at  the  end  of  the  service  for 
Adult  Baptism,  for  changing  the  word  'Infant'  to 
'Child'  or  'Person'  when  the  candidate  is  no  longer 
an  'infant'  and  yet  has  not  come  to  such  age  as  to 
answer  for  himself.  The  lawyers  call  a  person  an 
'infant'  until  he  is  'of  age' ;  the  ecclesiastical  writers 
call  those  between  seven  and  fourteen  years  of  age 
'children',  and  consider  them  of  the  right  age  for  Con- 
firmation; probably  in  the  service  the  word 'infant' 
may  be  best  kept  for  'babes  in  arms'.  If  the  child  can- 
not well  be  taken  into  the  minister's  hands  (as  the 
rubric  says),  he  should  stand  or  kneel  at  the  side  of 
the  font,  the  minister  with  his  left  hand  holding  the 
child  by  the  hand  or  touching  him  on  the  shoulder, 
both  for  the  reassurance  of  the  child  and  as  a  symbol 
of  admission  into  the  brotherhood  of  the  Church. 


THE  MINISTRA  TION  OF  BAPTISM  2 1 7 

It  is  greatly  to  be  desired  that  baptism  should  be 
administered,  when  it  is  any  way  possible,  in  the 
face  of  the  Church  and  during  Divine  Service,  as  the 
rubric  directs,  that  the  congregation  may  unite  in 
the  admission  of  a  new  member  and  bear  witness  to 
it  and  say  the  Creed  with  him  or  his  representatives 
after  the  service  is  ended,  and  that  at  the  same  time, 
as  the  English  Book  says,  "every  man  present  may  be 
put  in  remembrance  of  his  own  profession  made  to 
God  in  his  Baptism." 

The  water,  as  has  been  noted,  is  to  be  placed  in 
the  font  expressly  for  each  ministration,  and  may 
well  be  poured  in  by  the  minister  as  he  is  about 
to  begin  the  service. 

In  the  opening  question,  as  in  the  questions  ad- 
dressed to  the  sponsors,  the  nouns  and  pronouns  are 
not  to  be  put  in  the  plural,  however  many  there  are 
to  be  baptized;  the  question  is  asked  as  for  each  one, 
or  is  put  to  each  one,  severally:  'Hath  this  child — ?' 
'Dost  thou,  in  the  name  of  this  child — ?' 

In  the  first  prayer,  there  seems  to  be  little  doubt 
that  'by  water'  is  to  be  connected  with  'perishing' 
and  not  with  'didst  save',  though  the  latter  might 
seem  to  be  required  by  i  Peter  iii.  2i ;  the  water 
which  saved  those  in  the  ark  saved  them  from  the 
danger  itself  brought.  The  second  and  more  ancient 
prayer  is  valuable  for  its  sound  theological  teaching, 
'may  receive  remission  of  sin  by  spiritual  regenera- 
tion', 'may  enjoy  the  everlasting  benediction  of  thy 
heavenly  washing',  and  has  a  special  appropriateness 


218  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  VER 

at  Easter-tide,  speaking  as  it  does  of  God  as  'the 
resurrection  of  the  dead'. 

The  word  'allow'  in  the  exhortation  after  the 
Gospel  is  used  in  its  old  sense  of  'commend', 
'approve*;  it  is  the  French  'allouer\  the  Latin 
'allaudare\  The  word  has  this  meaning  in  the 
authorized  version  of  St.  Luke  xi.  48,  where  it  trans- 
lates avviv^oKelT^,  and  in  other  passages. 

The  prayer  after  'give  thanks  unto  him  and  say'  is 
to  be  repeated  by  the  congregation  with  the  minis- 
ter, as  is  shown  by  the  capital  letters  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  several  clauses. 

The  minister's  holding  the  child  or  holding  the 
hand  of  the  adult  (as  we  shall  see  in  the  later  service) 
is  not  a  matter  of  small  importance;  it  signifies  an 
actual  reception  of  the  candidate  by  Christ's  author- 
ized representative,  and  is  especially  significant  in 
the  case  of  children  who  are  thus  received  from  the 
parents  and  given  back  to  them  to  be  cared  for  and 
brought  up  as  children  of  God. 

When  more  children  than  one  are  to  be  baptized, 
the  oldest  should  be  taken  first,  yet  so  that  the  chil- 
dren of  one  family  should  be  taken  together.  There 
was  an  old  idea,  with  some  superstitious  notion,  that 
boys  should  be  baptized  before  girls. 

If  the  Baptismal  Ofifice  is  said  as  a  separate  service, 
the  minister  may  well  add  at  the  end  the  Thanks- 
giving from  the  Churching  Office  (if  the  mother  con- 
sents), the  Collect  for  Easter-even,  and  a  blessing. 

Care  should  be  taken  that  the  water  which  remains 


THE  MINISTRA  TION  OF  BA  P  TISM  2 1 9 

in  the  font  be  reverently  removed  and  poured  out  in 
a  clean  place. 

Private  Baptism  of  Children 

The  circumstances  and  manners  of  these  times 
make  it  impossible  for  us  to  assume  that  the  normal 
time  for  the  baptism  of  children  is  within  the  ten 
days  or  two  weeks  after  the  birth,  as  is  implied  in 
the  first  rubric.  But  the  principle  of  early  baptism 
emphasized  in  the  rubric,  and  that  of  the  desirability 
of  baptism  in  church  on  which  the  second  rubric  lays 
stress,  are  both  of  great  importance. 

The  form  of  service  required,  namely  the  Lord's 
Prayer  with  one  or  more  Collects  from  the  service  of 
Public  Baptism,  the  naming  of  the  child,  the  actual 
ministration  of  the  Sacrament,  and  the  Thanksgiving 
with  the  prayer  which  it  contains,  shows  what  the 
Church  considers  absolutely  necessary  for  the  bap- 
tism of  a  child.'  The  prayer  for  the  blessing  of  the 
water  should  certainly  be  said  before  the  baptism;  and 
at  the  end  the  prayer  for  a  sick  child  may  be  added. 
Apparently  by  some  misunderstanding,  the  Thanks- 
giving is  not  shortened  in  our  Book  as  it  is  in  the 
English  by  omitting  the  words,  'he,  being  dead  unto 
sin  ....  and  that',  so  that  it  seems  to  assume 
that  the  child  is  healthy  and  well  and  likely  to  live  to 
mature  years. 


^  It  is  interesting  to  note  that  the  Lord's  Prayer  here,  as 
below  in  the  service  for  the  reception  of  a  child  privately  bap- 
tized into  the  Church,  stands  in  its  ancient  place. 


220  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 

The  service  for  receiving  into  tiie  Church  a  child 
baptized  in  private  calls  for  no  special  note.  Its  pur- 
pose is  twofold :  first,  to  certify  the  assembled  con- 
gregation of  the  baptism,  and  withal  to  make  public 
declaration  of  the  child's  place  in  the  Church;  and 
secondly,  to  secure  the  promises  of  sponsors  in  its 
behalf,  and  therewith  to  give  them  a  solemn  exhor- 
tation to  their  duty. 

We  need,  however,  to  ask  what  is  meant  by  the 
words  'lawful  minister'  in  two  of  the  rubrics.  The 
Prayer  Books  of  1549,  1552,  and  1559  said  nothing  as 
to  the  presence  of  a  minister;  their  rubric  before  the 
words  of  administration  read  thus:  "First,  let  them 
that  be  present  call  upon  God  for  his  grace,  and  say 
the  Lord's  Prayer,  if  the  time  will  suffer;  and  then 
one  of  them  shall  name  the  child,  and  dip  him  in  the 
water,  or  pour  water  upon  him,  saying  these  words, 
N,  I  baptize  thee",  ....  etc.;  and  after  the  form 
of  words  the  rubric  went  on,  as  at  present:  "And 
let  them  not  doubt  but  that  the  child  so  baptized  is 
lawfully  and  sufficiently  baptized,  and  ought  not  to 
be  baptized  again  in  the  church."  And  later  on 
there  was  no  question  as  to  whether  the  person  bap- 
tizing was  a  minister  or  not.  But  in  1604  the 
requirement  of  a  'lawful  minister'  was  twice  in- 
serted, and  it  still  remains  in  the  English  Book  and 
from  it  has  passed  over  to  our  own.  An  attempt  to 
require  all  private  baptism  "to  be  ministered  by  a 
lawful  minister  or  deacon"  had  been  made  in  Con- 


THE  MINISTRATION  OF  BAPTISM  221 

vocation  in  1575,  but  Queen  Elizabeth  would  not 
sanction  it.  But  at  the  Hampton  Court  Conference 
(1604),  King  James  expressed  his  decided  opinion  on 
the  other  side  of  the  question:  "That  any  but  a  law- 
ful minister  might  baptize  anywhere,  he  utterly  dis- 
liked; and  in  this  point  his  Highness  grew  some- 
what earnest  against  the  baptizing  by  women  and 
laics."  The  Bishops  agreed  with  the  King;  and  the 
Puritan  party,  rather  strangely,  was  also  very  strong 
on  the  necessity  of  an  ordained  minister  for  baptism; 
so  that  the  new  form  of  the  rubric  was  adopted,  as  it 
would  seem,  by  general  consent.  The  statement 
that  "from  this  time  Lay  Baptism  was  distinctly 
discountenanced  by  the  Church  of  England"  is  indis- 
putably true,  as  far  as  the  Prayer  Book  and  official 
formularies  are  concerned;  yet  it  must  in  fairness 
be  noted  that  in  the  next  to  the  last  rubric  at  the  end 
of  this  service,  dating  in  this  part  from  1662, 
Water  and  the  Lord's  Words  are  declared  to  be  'es- 
sential'—  though  not  'the  essential'— 'parts  of  bap- 
tism' ;  which  may  possibly  imply  that  though  lay- 
baptism  had  not  the  sanction  of  the  Church,  yet  it  is 
to  be  reckoned  as  sufficient,  according  to  the  legal 
maxim,  'fieri  non  debuit,  factum  valet.'  The  theo- 
logical question  as  to  Lay  Baptism  is  beyond  the 
limits  of  this  book.  It  may  be  well  to  note  that  Bap- 
tism with  the  form  beginning  'If  thou  art  not  already 
baptized'  is  called  hypothetical. 

In  carrying  out  the  instructions  in  the  last  rubric 
as  to  a  combination  of  services,  it  would  appear  that 


222  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 

the  certification  as  to  the  child  already  baptized 
should  be  first  made;  that  then  the  question:  "Hath 
this  child  been  already  baptized,  or  no?"  should  be 
asked  as  to  the  others ;  that  the  service  should  then 
proceed  as  in  public  Baptism ;  that  the  sponsors  for 
the  baptized  child  should  remember  that  the  ques- 
tion "Wilt  thou  be  baptized  in  this  faith?"  is  not  ad- 
dressed to  them;  and  that  the  baptized  child  should 
be  publicly  received  into  the  Church  with  the  sign  of 
the  Cross  before  the  others  are  baptized. 

Baptism  of  Those  of  Riper  Years 

We  have  seen  that  in  the  early  Church  the  baptism 
of  adults  gave  way  to  the  baptism  of  infants,  the  ser- 
vice being  but  gradually  changed.  Then  for  centuries, 
all  the  nations  of  the  civilized  world  having  become 
Christians  and  all  Christians  recognizing  it  a  duty 
to  bring  their  children  to  baptism  in  their  infancy, 
there  was  no  need  of  any  service  for  the  baptism  of 
such  as  were  able  to  answer  for  themselves.  The 
English  Prayer  Book  had  no  office  for  adult  baptism 
until  its  last  revision,  which  it  will  be  remembered 
went  into  use  two  years  after  the  close  of  the  Com- 
monwealth and  the  restoration  of  the  Monarchy. 
Two  very  different  things  united  to  make  it  neces- 
sary to  provide  this  new  service.  In  the  first  place, 
during  the  fifteen  years  in  which  the  use  of  the 
Prayer  Book  had  been  forbidden  by  law  and  other 
years  in  which  it  had  been  largely  neglected,  the 
influence  of  the  Anabaptists  and  such  like  sects  had 


THE  MINISTRATION  OF  BAPTISM  223 

been  so  great  that  a  considerable  part  of  a  whole 
generation  had  grown  up  unbaptized ;  in  the  second 
place,  the  discovery  of  America  and  the  beginning  of 
colonization  on  the  American  coast  (Jamestown  had 
been  settled  fifty-five  years)  had  led  to  the  conversion 
of  some  of  the  natives  and  to  the  hope  that  many 
more  would  be  converted  and  brought  to  baptism. 
And  thus  the  Preface  to  the  English  Book  of  1662 
speaks  of  this  office  as  one  "which,  although  not  so 
necessary  when  the  former  book  was  compiled,  yet 
by  the  growth  of  Anabaptism,  through  the  licen- 
tiousness of  the  late  times  crept  in  amongst  us,  is 
now  become  necessary,  and  may  be  always  useful  for 
the  baptizing  of  natives  in  our  plantations,  and 
others  converted  to  the  Faith." 

The  service  follows  closely  the  lines,  and  for  the 
most  part  of  the  words,  of  that  for  the  Baptism  of  In- 
fants. A  different  passage  is  of  necessity  chosen 
for  the  Gospel,  the  exhortation  following  being  largely 
made  up  of  passages  from  the  New  Testament  bear- 
ing on  the  same  subject.  The  opening  rubric  lays 
stress  on  the  proper  preparation  of  the  candidates, 
and  solemn  exhortations  are  addressed  to  them.  At 
the  time  of  administration  the  minister  is  to  "take 
the  candidate  by  the  right  hand  and  place  him  con- 
veniently by  the  Font  according  to  his  discretion." 
He  should  transfer  the  person's  hand  to  his  own  left 
hand,  thus  holding  it  while  with  his  own  right  hand 
he  pours  the  water;  and  the  candidate  should  kneel 
for    both    the   baptism   and    the    signing   with    the 


224  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 

Cross  In  case  of  baptism  by  immersion,  either  in 
a  baptistery  or  in  living  (that  is,  running)  water,  the 
candidate  should  kneel  in  the  water  and  the  minister 
should  bow  the  head  forward  at  the  recital  of  the 
words  of  administration,  until  the  body  is  quite  cov- 
ered; it  is  best  to  lay  one  hand  upon  the  forehead 
and  one  upon  the  upper  part  of  the  back,  and  thus  to 
be  able  to  bend  the  body  forward  and  to  lift  it  up 
without  discomfort  or  inconvenience. 

The  student  will  note  that  the  pronouns  and  nouns 
referring  to  the  candidates  are  in  this  office  in  the 
plural,  as  normally  adults  are  baptized  at  stated 
times  and  in  comparatively  large  numbers;  while  in- 
fants are  normally  baptized  separately,  and  therefore 
the  pronouns  and  nouns  relating  to  them  are  in  the 
singular. 

The  second,  third,  and  fifth  rubrics  at  the  end  of 
the  service  are  peculiar  to  our  American  Book;  the 
last  sentence  of  the  second  and  the  whole  of  the  fifth 
were  added  at  the  revision  of  1892.  The  provision 
for  shortening  the  service  shows  that  the  Church 
considers  it  necessary  to  require  in  the  case  of  an 
adult  the  profession  of  repentance  and  faith  and 
obedience  and  the  desire  for  baptism,  with  prayer 
including  the  petition  for  the  blessing  of  the  water, 
before  the  administration,  and  the  Lord's  Prayer 
with  thanksgiving  after  it. 

The  combination  of  Infant  and  Adult  Baptism,  as 
provided  for  in  the  third  rubric,  is  very  awkward, 
even   when,    as   in   most  clergymen's  handbooks  or 


THE  MINIS TR A  TION  OF  BAPTISM  225 

Books  of  Offices,  the  parts  are  printed  in  the  order 
in  which  they  are  to  be  used;  it  is  far  better,  if 
possible,  to  use  the  two  separately. 

The  permission  of  hypothetical  baptism  extends 
to  adults  what  has  been  already  provided  in  the  case 
of  infants.  The  minister  must  decide  as  to  the 
reasonableness  of  the  doubt;  but  it  would  seem 
that  serious  doubt  as  to  whether  the  former  min- 
ister had  been  lawfully  ordained  and  had  thus 
authority  to  baptize,  could  hardly  be  called  un- 
reasonable. 

The  question  may  be  asked  whether  in  our  Church 
it  is  lawful  for  a  deacon  to  administer  baptism  to 
adults,  inasmuch  as  in  the  Ordering  of  Deacons  it  is 
said  to  be  a  part  of  a  deacon's  office  "in  the  absence 
of  the  Priest  to  baptize  infants,  and  to  preach,  if  he 
be  admitted  thereto  by  the  Bishop."  Until  1662,  it 
read  "to  baptize  and  to  preach  if  he  be  admitted 
thereto  by  the  Bishop."  It  is  certainly  noticeable 
that  the  limiting  word  'infants'  was  inserted  at  the 
time  when  a  form  for  the  baptism  of  adults  was  pro- 
vided. But  at  the  same  time  the  words  'in  the 
absence  of  the  Priest'  were  inserted;  and  it  would 
appear  that  the  case  in  mind  —  probably  the  only  case 
in  England  —  was  that  of  a  deacon  serving  under  a 
priest;  if  the  priest  were  absent,  he  might  baptize 
infants,  but  for  the  baptism  of  adults  they  must 
wait  until  the  priest  returned.  If  a  deacon  is  in 
"quasi  sole  charge",  it  would  seem  that  the  Bishop's 
licence  practically  covers  full  right  to  baptize. 
16 


226  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 

Doubtless  adult  baptism,  as  a  great  act  of  remitting 
sins,  is  a  priestly  act,  and  if  possible  a  priest  should 
be  responsible  for  every  adult  baptism;  but  the  act- 
ual administration  may  be  demitted  to  one  in  Holy 
Orders  of  a  lower  rank.  And  we  know  from  the 
example  of  St.  Philip  that  it  is  not  contrary  to  God's 
Word  or  to  the  practice  of  apostolic  times  for  a 
deacon  to  baptize  adults. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Works  on  the  whole  Prayer  Book,  already  noted. 

Marriott  (W.  B.),  Article  on  Baptism,  in  Dictionary  of  Chris- 
tian Antiquities.    A  full  study,  coming  down  to  the  year  800. 

Other  articles  in  Dictionaries  and  Encyclopaedias. 

Fallow  (T.  M.),  The  Order  of  Baptism,  illustrated  from 
Hermann's  Consultation,  etc. 

Rogers  (C.  F.),  Baptism  and  Christian  Archaeology.  Illus- 
trated from  ancient  pictures. 

Stone  (Darwell),  Holy  Baptism  (in  Oxford  Library  of  Prac- 
tical Theology) . 

Maskell  (William),  Holy  Baptism. 

Mozley  (J.  B.),  The  Primitive  Doctrine  of  Baptismal  Re- 
generation ;  also,  A  Review  of  the  Baptismal  Controversy. 


X. 

THE  CATECHISM 

THE  Catechism  is  the  form  of  Instruction  which 
the  Church  provides  "to  be  learned  by  every 
person  before  he  be  brought  to  be  confirmed  by 
the  Bishop."  The  word  has  a  Greek  form,  as 
fcaTTj'x^LafjLo^  from  the  verb  Karrj^x^em,  in  Roman  letters 
'kat-echeo',  to  'echo-down',  to  're-sound',  almost  'to 
din  in  one's  ears  by  repeating',  and  then  'to  instruct 
orally'.  The  verb  occurs  in  the  New  Testament  in 
the  Prologue  to'  St.  Luke's  Gospel  (i.  4)  of  the  in- 
struction which  a  convert,  Theophilus,  had  received 
in  the  fundamentals  of  the  Christian  faith;  in  Acts 
xviii.  25,  of  like  instruction  which  Apollos  had  re- 
ceived; in  Acts  xix.  21,  24,  of  an  oft-repeated  charge 
made  against  St.  Paul;  in  Galatians  vi.  6,  of  instruc- 
tion in  the  faith;  in  Romans  ii.  18,  of  like  instruc- 
tion in  the  Jewish  law;  and  in  i  Corinthians  xiv.  19, 
of  the  instruction  given  by  a  Christian  teacher. 
There  were  Catechetical  Lectures  of  St.  Cyril  of 
Jerusalem,  as  we  have  already  seen,  about  the  year 
350,  and  St.  Augustine  wrote  a  treatise  on  Catechis- 
ing about  400 ;  the  fame  of  the  Catechetical  School 
at  Alexandria  is  world-wide.  And  there  was  doubt- 
less catechizing  in  England  before  the  verb  came 
into  use  about  1450  and  the  noun  'catechism'  a  little 
after    1500.     In    Henry    VIII's    reign,    the   curates 


228  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

(that  is,  clergymen  having  cure  of  souls)  were 
charged,  "that  ye  shall,  every  Sunday  and  Holy-day 
throughout  the  year,  openly  and  plainly  recite  to 
your  parishoners,  twice  or  thrice  together,  if  need 
require,  one  particle  or  sentence  of  the  Paternoster 
or  Creed  in  English,  to  the  intent  that  they  may 
learn  the  same  by  heart ;  and  so  from  day  to  day  to 
give  to  them  one  little  lesson  or  sentence  of  the 
same,  till  they  have  learned  the  whole  Paternoster 
and  Creed  in  English  by  rote.  .  .  And  that  done,  ye 
shall  declare  unto  them  the  Ten  Commandments, 
one  by  one,  every  Sunday  and  Holy-day  till  they  be 
likewise  perfect  in  the  same."  When  Edward  VI 
came  to  the  throne,  one  of  the  first  things  that  de- 
manded the  attention  of  his  advisers  was  the  diligent 
instruction  of  the  people,  and  especially  the  young, 
in  the  Creed,  the  Lord's  Prayer,  and  the  Command- 
ments, and  expounding  and  declaring  the  understand- 
ing of  the  same.  And  when  the  Prayer  Book  was 
set  forth  in  English,  a  brief  catechism  was  prefixed 
to,  or  rather  incorporated  in,  the  Order  of  Confirma- 
tion, that  the  Bishop,  or  such  as  he  should  appoint, 
might  at  his  discretion  'appose'  the  candidates  in 
it.  It  differed  but  in  few  words,  except  that  some 
of  the  Commandments  were  abbreviated,  from  that 
which  stands  in  our  Prayer  Book,  as  far  as  to  the 
end  of  the  long  answer  explanatory  of  the  meaning  of 
the  Lord's  Prayer. 

It  was  in  reality  a  'short  catechism',  shorter  than 
others   prepared    about    the   same   time,    and    much 


THE  CA  TECH  ISM  229 

shorter  than  the  'Shorter  Catechism'  of  the  West- 
minster Assembly  set  forth  in  1647.  And  it  is  the 
only  part  of  the  Prayer  Book  which  had  not  a  Latin 
original.  It  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable  produc- 
tions of  a  remarkable  time;  good  Izaak  Walton  calls 
it  "that  good,  plain,  unperplext  Catechism,  that  is 
printed  with  the  old  Service  Book";  and  the  late 
Archbishop  Benson  said,  "I  believe  that  there  has 
never  been  in  the  hands  of  any  Church  any  manual 
representing  the  doctrines,  the  true  spirit,  of  the 
Bible,  to  compare  with  the  Catechism  of  the 
Church  of  England." 

We  cannot  absolutely  determine  who  was  its 
author;  but  tradition  points  to  Alexander  Nowell, 
who  was  in  1549  a  master  in  Westminster  School,  a 
man  of  mature  years  and  good  learning.  Two  years 
later  he  was  made  a  prebendary  of  St.  Paul's,  and  in 
1560  he  was  advanced  to  be  Dean  of  that  Cathedral. 
He  wrote  in  Queen  Elizabeth's  day  a  long  catechism, 
in  both  Latin  and  English;  and  some  parts  of  the 
addition  to  the  Prayer  Book  Catechism  on  the  sub- 
ject of  the  Sacraments,  made  in  1604,  can  be  traced 
back  to  this.  But  the  author  of  this  addition  is  be- 
lieved to  have  been  John  Overall,  at  that  time  Dean 
of  St.  Paul's,  and  afterwards  Bishop  of  Coventry 
and  Lichfield  and  of  Norwich. 

Some  few  years  ago  the  Lower  House  of  the  Con- 
vocation of  Canterbury,  after  a  good  deal  of  discus- 
sion, prepared  an  addition  to  the  Catechism  of  twelve 
questions    and    answers    on    the   Church   (see   note 


230  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

below);  it  was  not  adopted  by  the  Upper  House,  the 
Bishops  holding  that  action  relating  to  the  definition 
of  doctrine  should  have  originated  with  themselves, 
but  it  is  worthy  of  being  better  known  and  might 
well  be  used  in  some  places. 

Few  changes  were  made  in  the  Catechism  when 
the  American  Prayer  Book  was  set  forth ;  the  only 
one  deserving  note  is  the  substitution  of  'spiritually' 
for  'verily  and  indeed'  in  the  answer  as  to  the  inward 
part  or  thing  signified  in  the  Lord's  Supper. 

The  rubrics  of  1549  required  that  the  curate  of 
every  parish,  'once  in  six  weeks  at  least,  upon  warn- 
ing by  him  given',  should  'upon  some  Sunday  or 
Holy-day,  half  an  hour  before  evensong,  openly  in  the 
church  instruct  and  examine'  the  children  sent  unto 
him  in  some  part  of  the  Catechism.  In  1552  it  was 
ordered  to  be  done  'diligently  upon  Sundays  and 
Holy-days,  half  an  hour  before  evensong' ;  in  1662  the 
time  was  changed  and  the  catechising  was  appointed 
to  be  openly  in  the  'church'  'upon  Sundays  and  Holy- 
days,  after  the  Second  Lesson  at  Evening  Prayer'. 
Our  rubric  still  directs  that  the  minister's  instruc- 
tion and  examination  of  children  of  his  parish  in  the 
Catechism  shall  be  'openly  in  the  church';  it  is  evi- 
dently something  additional  to  what  is  ordinarily 
understood  by  the  work  of  the  Sunday  School. 

The  second  rubric  lays  a  duty  on  fathers  and 
mothers.  There  are  no  longer  'servants  and  appren- 
tices' whom  their  'masters  and  mistresses'  can  send 
to  church  'to  hear  and  be  ordered  by  the  minister'. 


THE  CA  TECHISM  231 

The  third  and  fourth  rubric  have  to  do  with  the 
Confirmation  Service  which  follows.* 

It  is  not  at  all  easy  to  say  what  is  the  meaning  of 
'M.'  in  the  'N.  or  M.'  which  is  given  as  the  answer 
to  the  first  question  in  the  Catechism.  The  usual 
explanation  is  that  'M.'  is  for  'NN.'  and  that  'N.  or 
M.'  means  'Name  or  Names'.  But  when  the  Cate- 
chism was  written  very  few  persons,  if  any,  had 
more  than  one  baptismal  name;  and  in  fact  the  use 
of  'middle  names'  was  very  infrequent  until  well  into 
the  nineteenth  century,  as  will  be  evident  if  one  will 
think  of  the  names  of  the  signers  of  the  Declaration 
of  Independence  or  of  men  prominent  in  the  early 
history  of  the  Republic.  Bishop  Charles  Words- 
worth thought  that  'N.'  was  meant  for  boys  and  *M.' 
for  girls,  and  that  the  letters  stand  for  the  typical 
names  of  Nicholas  and  Mary.  The  fact  that  in  the 
Marriage  Service  'M.'  is  used  for  the  bridegroom 
and  'N.'  for  the  bride  is  no  objection  to  this;  for 
in  the  old  Books  *N.'  is  used  for  both,  and  it  is  still 
the  correct  reading  for  both  in  the  English  Book. 
Our  Book  has  'M.'  for  the  bridegroom  by  "corrupt 
following"  of  a  false  reading. 


*  It  may  be  noted  as  a  matter  of  curiosity,  that  our  Catechism 
was  printed  in  a  Latin  version,  with  the  quantity  of  vowels 
marked  and  the  rules  of  prosody  prefixed,  in  Philadelphia,  by 
Lydia  R.  Bailey  ;  what  seems  to  be  the  second  edition  bears  the 
date  of  1820. 


232  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 


QUESTIONS  AND  ANSWERS  ON  THE  CHURCH 

An  Addition  to  the  Catechism, 

AS  Agreed  to  by  the  Lower  House  of  the 

Convocation  of  Canterbury 

Q.    What  meanest  thou  by  the  Church  ? 

A.  I  mean  the  Body  of  which  Jesus  Christ  is  the  Head,  and 
of  which  I  was  made  a  member  in  my  Baptism. 

Q.    How  is  the  Church  described  in  the  Creeds? 

A.    It  is  described  as  One,  Holy,  Catholic,  and  Apostolic, 

Q.    What  meanest  thou  by  each  of  these  words? 

A.  I  mean  that  the  Church  is  One,  as  being  One  Body  under 
the  One  Head  ;  Holy,  because  the  Holy  Spirit  dwells  in  it,  and 
sanctifies  its  members ;  Catholic,  because  it  is  for  all  nations 
and  for  all  times ;  and  Apostolic,  because  it  continues  sted- 
fastly  in  the  Apostles'  doctrine  and  fellowship. 

Q.  We  learn  from  the  Holy  Scripture  that  in  the  Church  the 
evil  are  mingled  with  the  good.    Will  it  always  be  so  ? 

A.  No ;  when  our  Lord  comes  again  He  will  cast  the  evil 
out  of  His  Kingdom ;  will  make  His  faithful  servants  perfect 
both  in  body  and  soul ;  and  will  present  His  whole  Church  to 
Himself  without  spot  and  blameless. 

Q.    What  is  the  office  and  work  of  the  Church  on  earth  ? 

A.  The  office  and  work  of  the  Church  on  earth  is  to  main- 
tain and  teach  everywhere  the  true  faith  of  Christ,  and  to  be 
His  instrument  for  conveying  grace  to  men,  by  the  power  of 
the  Holy  Ghost. 

Q.  How  did  our  Lord  provide  for  the  government  and  con- 
tinuance of  the  Church? 

A.  He  gave  authority  to  His  Apostles  to  rule  the  Church,  to 
minister  His  Word  and  Sacraments,  and  to  ordain  faithful  men 
for  the  continuance  of  this  ministry  until  His  coming  again. 


THE  CA  TECH  ISM  233 

Q.  What  orders  of  ministers  have  there  been  in  the  Church 
from  the  Apostles'  time  ? 

A.    Bishops,  Priests,  and  Deacons. 

Q.    What  is  the  office  of  a  Bishop  ? 

A.  The  office  of  a  Bishop  is  to  be  a  chief  pastor  and 
ruler  of  the  Church ;  to  confer  Holy  Orders ;  to  administer 
Confirmation ;  and  to  take  chief  part  in  the  ministry  of  the 
Word  and  Sacraments. 

Q.    What  is  the  office  of  a  Priest  ? 

A.  The  office  of  a  Priest  is  to  preach  the  Word  of  God  ;  to 
baptize ;  to  celebrate  the  Holy  Communion ;  to  pronounce 
Absolution  and  Blessing  in  God's  Name  ;  and  to  feed  the  flock 
committed  by  the  Bishop  to  his  charge. 

Q.    What  is  the  office  of  a  Deacon? 

A.  The  office  of  a  Deacon  is  to  assist  the  Priest  in  divine 
service,  and  especially  at  the  Holy  Communion  ;  to  baptize  in- 
fants in  the  absence  of  the  Priest ;  to  catechise ;  to  preach,  if 
authorized  by  the  Bishop ;  and  to  search  for  the  sick  and  the 
poor. 

Q.    What  is  required  of  members  of  the  Church  ? 

A.  To  endeavour,  by  God's  help,  to  fulfil  their  baptismal 
vows ;  to  make  full  use  of  the  means  of  grace  ;  to  remain  sted- 
fast  in  the  communion  of  the  Church  ;  and  to  forward  the  work 
of  the  Church  at  home  and  abroad. 

Q.    Why  is  it  our  duty  to  belong  to  the  Church  of  England  ? 

A.  Because  the  Church  of  England  has  inherited  and  re- 
tains the  doctrine  and  ministry  of  the  One  Catholic  and  Apos- 
tolic Church,  and  is  that  part  of  the  Church  which  has  been 
settled  from  early  times  in  our  country. 


234  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 


NOTE  ON  THE  TEN  COMMANDMENTS 
IN  ENGLISH 

The  version  of  the  Ten  Commandments  in  the  Catechism, 
since  1552  the  same  as  that  at  the  beginning  of  the  Commun- 
ion Service  (except  in  the  Preface),  is  not  taken  from  any 
translation  of  the  Bible,  but  was  made  for  the  Prayer  Book. 
In  1549  there  was  no  Preface  ('I  am  the  Lord  thy  God',  etc.), 
and  all  the  longer  Commandments  were  given  in  an  abbre- 
viated form,  the  fourth,  for  instance,  being  only  'Remember 
that  thou  keep  holy  the  Sabbath  day.'  In  1552,  the  words  'The 
same  which  God  spake  in  the  xx.  chapter  of  Exodus  saying', 
with  the  full  Preface,  were  prefixed,  and  '  I.'  was  placed  before 
the  first  Commandment ;  while  in  the  Communion  Service  an 
abbreviated  form  of  the  introductory  words  was  given  as  a 
part  of  the  first  Commandment,  and  thus  it  stands  to  this  day  ; 
'  God  spake  these  words,  and  said :  I  am  the  Lord  thy  God  ; 
thou  shalt  have  none  other  gods  but  me.'  The  Catechism's 
division  of  the  Commandments  was  also,  it  is  believed,  some- 
thing new  in  English.  The  Roman  Catholics  and  the  Luther- 
ans, following  St.  Augustine,  place  the  Preface  apart,  make  the 
prohibition  of  other  gods  and  of  idols  the  first  Commandment, 
that  of  taking  the  Lord's  name  in  vain  the  second,  and  so  on, 
dividing  at  last  what  we  call  the  tenth  Commandment  into  two  ; 
only  the  Roman  Cathohcs  make  the  prohibition  of  coveting 
one's  neighbour's  wife,  and  the  Lutherans  that  of  coveting 
his  house,  the  ninth  Commandment.  The  present  Hebrew 
Bibles  make  the  Preface  with  our  first  and  second  Command- 
ments the  first 'Word' — for  in  the  original  they  are  literally 
God's  'Words',  not  'Commandments' — and  then  follow  the 
scheme  just  mentioned,  Deuteronomy  placing  the  wife  apart 
and  Exodus  the  house.  The  Jewish  Talmud  makes  the  Preface 
the  first '  Word ',  puts  our  first  and  second  Commandments  to- 
gether for  the  second,  and  then  has  the  numbering  which  we 
follow.  The  order  of  the  Catechism,  which  places  the  Preface 
by  itself,  and  makes  the  prohibition  of  other  gods  the  first 
Commandment,  is  that  of  the  Greek  Church  and  of  the  Swiss 
Reformers,  and  is  believed  to  be  that  of  the  ancient  Jewish  au- 


THE  CA  TECHISM  235 

thorities.  It  is  well  to  note  how  here,  as  elsewhere,  our  re- 
formers passed  over  the  traditional  Latin  form  or  use  in  which 
they  had  been  instructed  and  reverted  to  the  Greek  as  signify- 
ing the  older  learning. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY 

White  (Bishop  William),  Lectures  on  the  Catechism  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church. 

Wordsworth  (Bishop  Charles),  Catechesis. 

Robinson  (Arthur  W.),  The  Church  Catechism  Explained. 
An  excellent  handbook. 

Newbolt  (W.  C.  E.),  The  Church  Catechism,  the  Christian's 
Manual  (in  Oxford  Library  of  Practical  Theology).  A  full 
devotional  and  practical  exposition. 

Ken  (Bishop  Thomas),  The  Practice  of  Divine  Love,  being 
an  Exposition  of  the  Church  Catechism.  Devotional,  in  the 
form  of  prayers. 

In  Marshall's  (C.  and  W.  W.)  volume  on  the  Latin  Prayer 
Book  of  Charles  II,  is  a  reprint  and  translation  of  the  Catechism 
therein  contained,  with  full  notes. 


XI. 
THE  ORDER  OF  CONFIRMATION 

CONFIRMATION,  or  the  laying-on  of  the 
hands  of  Apostles  or  Bishops  (or  in  some  cases 
of  men  authorized  by  them)  upon  those  who  have 
been  baptized,  with  the  prayer  that  they  may 
receive  the  Holy  Spirit,  has  been  observed  in  the 
Church  from  the  very  earliest  times,  although  it  has 
been,  as  one  has  said,  with  "almost  every  possible 
variety  of  practice,  belief,  and  even  terminology." 
Very  soon  after  the  Church  had  begun  its  work,  St. 
Peter  and  St.  John  were  sent  from  Jerusalem  to  lay 
hands  on  those  whom  Philip  the  Deacon  had  baptized 
at  Samaria;  and  those  on  whom  they  laid  hands 
received  the  Holy  Spirit  (irvev^ia  dyiov,  Acts  viii.  14- 
19).  Some  years  later,  St.  Paul  laid  hands  on  some 
who  had  just  been  baptized  at  Ephesus,  and  the 
Holy  Spirit  (to  Trvevfia  to  dyiov,  Acts  xix.  1-6)  came 
upon  them.  It  does  not  seem  unreasonable,  in  the 
light  of  these  passages,  in  which  there  is  no  sugges- 
tion of  anything  unusual,  but  rather  the  reverse,  to 
suggest  that  when  St.  Paul  went  through  Syria  and 
Cilicia  (Acts  xv.  41)  or  through  the  Galatian  country 
and  Phrygia  (xviii.  23)  'strengthening'  the  churches 
and  all  the  disciples,  one  purpose  was  that  he  might 
lay  hands  on  those  who  had  'only  been  baptized' ; 
although  to  translate  or'qpi^oDv  in  these  passages  by 


THE  ORDER  OF  CONFIRM  A  TION  237 

'confirming'  in  our  sense  of  the  word  would  not  be 
justified.  And  again,  when  he  writes  to  the  Romans 
(i.  ii)  that  he  is  longing  to  come  to  them  that  he  may 
impart  to  them  'some  spiritual  gift'  that  they  may  be 
'strengthened'  (tW  rt  neraSco  ')(apLa^ji.a  vfilv  TrvevfiaTi- 
Kov  eh  TO  crTripL'x^dfjvaL  vyiai),  it  is  not  unreason- 
able to  think  that  he  had  in  mind  that  at  Rome, 
where  no  Apostle  had  been  as  yet,  the  baptized  con- 
verts had  not  received  the  benefit  of  laying-on  of 
hands.  At  a  considerably  later  day,  the  author  of 
the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  names  as  a  part  of  the 
'foundation'  or  'the  word  of  the  beginning',  and  in 
close  connection  wirh  'baptisms',  'laying-on  of 
hands',  as  something  which  belongs  to  all  Christian 
men  at  the  beginning  of  their  discipleship. 

Something  has  been  said  (see  page  210)  as  to  the 
use  of  the  words  'unction'  and  'seal'  in  possible  con- 
nection with  baptism ;  it  may  well  be  that  they  refer 
rather  to  the  laying-on  of  hands  than  to  the  pouring 
of  water,  to  the  latter  rather  than  to  the  earlier  part 
of  what  was  then  considered  as  normally  one  rite. 
Thus  we  can  well  read  2  Corinthians  i.  21,  22:  "He 
who  is  making  us  firm  (0  ^ejSaiwv)  ....  and  did 
anoint  us  is  God,  who  also  did  set  a  seal  on  us  and 
give  us  the  earnest  of  the  Spirit"  ;  and  Ephesians  i, 
13:  "When  ye  also  became  believers  in  him,  ye  were 
sealed  by  the  Holy  Spirit  of  his  promise,  who  is  an 
earnest  of  our  inheritance."  In  fact,  when  we  see 
how  strongly  the  post-apostolic  Christian  writers 
spoke  of  the  gift  of  the  Spirit  through  the  laying-on 


238  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  J  'ER 

of  hands,  and  feel  sure  that  they  learned  of  its  im- 
portance more  or  less  directly  from  the  Apostles,  we 
are  justified  in  applying  many  such  passages  to  the 
gifts  bestowed  by  the  sacramental  ordinance  which 
we  call  Confirmation.  From  the  time  of  Tertullian 
(about  200)  there  is  no  lack  of  evidence  as  to  the 
Church's  belief  and  practice  in  the  matter. 

The  Latin  confirmatio  translates  the  Greek 
^€^aCa)(n<i,  and  in  the  Apostolic  Constitutions  of 
the  fourth  century  the  laying-on  of  hands  is  called 
fie^aia)ai<i  r?}?  6fjioXoyia<;,  'the  confirming  of  the  con- 
fession', meaning  God's  confirming  of  our  confes- 
sion; and  co7ifir7natio  has  long  been  the  name 
which  this  ordinance  has  borne  in  the  West.  The 
English  word  'confirmation'  (in  this  sense)  is  traced 
back  to  the  beginning  of  the  fourteenth  century ;  an 
old  formula  of  that  time  reads:  "The  bisschop 
these  wordes  seth,  Ich  signi  thee  with  signe  of  crosse, 
And  with  the  creme  of  hele  [the  chrism  of  health,  that 
is  salvation]  confermi."  If  we  remember  that  'com- 
fort' is  literally  almost  the  same  word  as  'confirm', 
we  shall  see  that  to  our  forefathers  'the  Holy  Ghost 
the  Comforter'  would  often  suggest  'the  Holy  Ghost 
the  Confirmer',  and  the  reverse. 

As  was  the  case  with  Baptism,  so  also  in  Con- 
firmation, the  service  was  originally  very  simple, 
having  in  it  little  if  anything  more  than  prayer  and 
the  laying-on  of  hands;  and  in  contrast  with  Bap- 
tism, the  ceremonies  attendant  on  Confirmation  have 
remained  few  and  simple.    The  service  in  the  Prayer 


THE  ORDER  OF  CON  FIRM  A  TION  239 

Book  of  1549  closely  followed  the  lines  of  the  Latin 
form  then  in  use,  with  the  important  exception  that 
the  laying-on  of  the  Bishop's  hand  was  expressly 
provided  for  and  that  he  was  not  instructed  to  use 
chrism  in  making  the  sign  of  the  Cross.  The  service 
began  with  "Our  help  is  in  the  name  of  the  Lord", 
along  with  the  other  versicles  which  we  retain;  then 
followed  the  ancient  prayer  for  the  seven-fold  gifts  of 
the  Spirit  (it  dates  back  at  least  to  the  beginning  of 
the  eighth  century),  followed  by  this,  with  allusion 
to  'sealing'  and  'anointing':  "Sign  them,  O  Lord, 
and  mark  them  to  be  thine  for  ever,  by  the  virtue  of 
thy  holy  cross  and  passion.  Confirm  and  strengthen 
them  with  the  inward  unction  of  thy  Holy  Ghost, 
mercifully  unto  everlasting  life."  The  Bishop  then 
made  a  Cross  on  the  child's  forehead  and  laid  his 
hand  on  the  head,  giving  the  child's  name  and  say- 
ing, "I  sign  thee  with  the  sign  of  the  Cross  and  lay 
my  hand  upon  thee;  in  the  Name", —  etc.  Then 
followed  the  prayer  for  the  confirmed  still  in  use, 
taken  from  a  long  prayer  of  Archbishop  Hermann, 
and  the  blessing.  It  is  quite  evident  that  in  this 
case,  as  in  others.  Archbishop  Cranmer  and  the 
others  were  looking  back  to  the  New  Testament  and 
providing  carefully  that  there  should  be  no  doubt 
that  the  essential  act  of  the  service  should  be  that  on 
which  the  inspired  writers  laid  stress.  Probably  the 
Roman  Bishops  in  making  with  their  thumbs  the 
sign  of  the  Cross  with  chrism  on  the  foreheads  of 
the  candidates  kneeling  before  them,  did  lay  on  the 


240  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 

hand,  as  it  is  said  that  some  if  not  most  of  them  do 
to-day,  though  the  rubric  in  most  places  does  not 
require  it;  but  it  was  unscriptural  to  frame  a  service 
for  Confirmation  with  no  mention  of  the  laying-on  of 
the  Bishop's  hand.  It  was  left  for  the  American 
Church  in  the  Book  of  1790  to  make  another  change 
for  complete  conformity  to  the  Scripture,  and  direct 
the  Bishop  to  lay  his  'hands'  upon  every  candidate 
severally.  The  plural  is  always  U3cd  in  the  New 
Testament. 

In  1552,  the  sign  of  the  Cross  and  all  reference  to 
it  was  omitted,  and  the  present  prayer  at  the  laying- 
on  of  the  hand  or  of  hands,  'Defend,  O  Lord',  was 
provided.  'Defender'  comes  near  to  a  translation 
from  TrapaKXrjTO'i,  in  English  'Paraclete',  a  title  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  which  following  Wycliffe  we  gen- 
erally translate  by  'Comforter'  in  the  sense  of 
'Strengthener',  but  the  word  'defend'  is  not  ordina- 
rily used  in  that  sense;  and  few  of  us  remember 
that  God's  'heavenly  grace'  means  His  Holy  Spirit. 

In  1662,  the  Preface,  which  had  been  before  that 
time  a  rubric,  was  made  part  of  the  service,  and  the 
ratification  of  the  baptismal  vows  was  introduced. 
The  use  of  'confirm'  in  both  the  Preface  and  the 
question  has  led  many  to  think  that  this  'confirma- 
tion' is  that  which  gives  name  to  the  service  —  a 
mistake  which  needs  to  be  carefully  corrected  in  the 
minds  of  candidates  who  are  brought,  or  are  coming, 
"to  the  Bishop  to  be  confirmed  by  him."  The  Lord's 
Prayer  and  the  Collect  before  the  Blessing  were  also 


THE  ORDER  OF  CONFIRM  A  TION  241 

inserted  at  that  time.  The  American  Church,  in  the 
Book  of  1892,  made  the  reading  of  the  Preface  dis- 
cretionary, introduced  a  presentation  of  the  candi- 
dates, and  also  provided,  but  for  discretionary  use,  a 
Lesson  from  Acts  viii. 

The  venerable  Prayer  of  Confirmation,  in  its  refer- 
ence to  the  regeneration  and  forgiveness  of  the  can- 
didates —  words  which  must  refer  to  the  time  of  their 
baptism  —  shows  that  it  was  composed  when  confirma- 
tion followed  close  upon  the  sacrament  of  baptism. 
Of  the  seven  gifts  of  the  Spirit,  six  are  mentioned 
in  the  Hebrew  and  the  English  of  Isaiah  xi.  2,  and 
all  seven  in  the  ancient  Greek  translation  known  as 
the  Septuagint;  there  is  good  reason  for  believing 
that  all  were  originally  in  the  Hebrew  text.  The 
first  two  are  intellectual  gifts,  the  second  two  are 
moral,  the  third  two  are  devotional;  the  last  is  the 
key-stone  which  binds  all  together  in  the  life. 

In  the  Roman  use,  in  which  confirmation  is  ad- 
ministered by  Bishops  and  sometimes  by  abbots  or 
priests  with  special  licence,  the  officiant  says  the 
ancient  prayer  while  he  holds  his  arms  outstretched 
over  the  candidates;  he  then  signs  each  on  the  fore- 
head with  chrism,  generally  at  the  same  time  (as  has 
been  said  above)  laying  his  hand  upon  the  head;  and 
then  gives  each  a  light  touch  or  blow  on  the  cheek, 
reminding  him  to  bear  patiently  the  reproach  of 
Christ;  the  confirmation  of  infants  is  not  practised. 
In  the  Eastern  use,  the  priest  who  baptizes  an  infant 
immediately  anoints  him  with  chrism  blessed  by  the 
17 


242  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

Bishop,  and  this  is  considered  a  sufficient  laying-on 
of  hands;  here  the  confirmation  of  adults  is  un- 
known. A  form  of  confirmation  is  also  retained  by 
the  Lutherans  and  others. 

One  of  the  rubrics  at  the  end  of  the  service 
reminds  us  that  those  confirmed  should  be  urgently 
moved  to  avail  themselves  without  delay  of  their 
privilege  of  receiving  the  Lord's  Supper.  In  this 
connection  it  may  be  well  to  refer  to  the  strange 
custom  in  the  Church  of  Rome  that  children  should 
receive  their  first  communion  before  confirmation; 
and  to  call  attention  to  a  letter  of  the  late  Pope 
addressed  to  the  Bishop  of  Marseilles  in  1897, 
declaring  that  this  custom  is  "not  in  accordance, 
either  with  the  ancient  and  constant  institution 
of  the  Church  or  with  the  good  of  the  faithful",  and 
commending  the  Bishop  for  changing  it.* 

The  form  of  the  other  rubric  in  1549  was,  "And 
there  shall  none  be  admitted  to  the  Holy  Communion, 
until  such  time  as  he  be  confirmed";  from  1552  to 
1662  it  read,  "And  there  shall  none  be  admitted  to 
the  Holy  Communion,  until  such  time  as  he  can 
say  the  Catechism  and  be  confirmed."  In  1662,  it 
was  put  into  the  form  which  it  has  now  in  both  the 
English  Book  and  our  own :  "And  there  shall  none  be 
admitted  to  the  Holy  Communion  until  such  time  as 
he  be  confirmed,  or  be  ready  and  desirous  to  be  con- 
firmed."    These  last  words  were  inserted,  without 


^  Quoted  by  Bishop  Hall, '  Confirmation',   pp.  94,  95. 


THE  ORDER  OF  CONFIRM  A  TION  243 

doubt,  at  the  time  of  the  Restoration,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  suspension  of  the  use  of  the  Prayer 
Book  for  fifteen  years,  to  allow  the  reception  of  the 
Holy  Communion  by  those  who  coud  not  be  con- 
firmed until  a  general  visitation  by  the  Bishops  for 
that  purpose  should  be  held ;  they  also  served  for  the 
case  of  Churchmen  in  these  colonies,  who  were  left 
by  the  Church  of  England  for  a  hundred  and  seventy 
years  without  the  ministration  of  Bishops.  The 
general  meaning  of  the  rubric  is  clear.  It  is  not  so 
clear  whether  it  was  intended  to  apply  to  the  case  of 
what  was  called  in  England  'occasional  conformity', 
that  is  to  say,  the  case  of  habitual  non-conformists 
communicating  occasionally  in  the  established 
Church;  historically,  it  is  certain  that  it  has  not  been 
always  so  applied. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Hall  (Bishop  A.  C.  A.),  Confirmation  (in  Oxford  Library  of 
Practical  Theology). 

Mason  (A.  J.),  The  Relation  of  Confirmation  to  Baptism.  A 
book  of  great  learning. 

Wirgman  (A.  T.),The  Doctrine  of  Confirmation  considered 
in  relation  to  Holy  Baptism.  Written  in  reply  to  Dr.  Mason's 
book. 

Chase  (Bishop  F.  H.),  Confirmation  in  the  Apostolic  Age. 


XII. 
THE  SOLEMNIZATION  OF  MATRIMONY 

WE  learn  nothing  from  the  New  Testament  as 
to  any  distinctively  Christian  form  or  cere- 
mony in  Marriage.  The  ordinance  was  not  of  Chris- 
tian origin,  and  its  essence  was  recognized  as  con- 
sisting in  the  consent  of  the  parties,  under  such 
restrictions  as  were  placed  by  the  law  of  nature  or 
by  laws  and  customs  of  the  place  in  which  they 
lived.  It  appears  that  Christians  in  different  parts 
of  the  world  were  married  as  others  were,  only  being 
careful  to  use  no  idolatrous  or  unworthy  ceremonies, 
and  to  ask  for  the  blessing  of  the  Bishop  or  priest. 

As  far  back  as  we  are  able  to  trace  marriage  cus- 
toms, we  find  that  those  of  the  Greeks  and  Romans 
differed  in  principle  from  those  of  the  Hebrews, 
with  which  latter  those  of  the  Germans  were  partly 
in  accord.  The  theory  of  the  former  —  the  fact  in 
early  days  —  was  that  the  man  stole  the  woman  from 
her  father's  house  and  took  with  her  what  else  he 
could  get;  in  classic  times  the  bride  was  carried 
veiled  from  her  father's  to  the  husband's  home,  lifted 
over  the  threshold,  and  acknowledged  by  the  hus- 
band in  some  such  words  as  '  Ubi  ego  Gains,  tu  Gaia' ; 
and  she  brought  from  her  father  her  dowry,  as  is 
still  the  custom  in  Latin  countries.  Among  the 
Semitic  races,  as  also  among  the  Teutonic,  the  ancient 


THE  SOLEMNIZA  TION  OF  MA  TRIMOXY     245 

practice  must  have  been  that  the  man  bought  his 
wife  from  her  father,  as  may  be  seen  from  the  story 
of  the  betrothal  of  Rebekah  or  the  marriage  of  Leah 
and  Rachel,  or  may  be  read  in  the  'Germania*  of 
Tacitus,  who  tells  of  the  gifts  which  the  husband 
brought  to  the  wife,  and  of  the  assembling  of  the 
parents  and  relatives  to  inspect  the  presents  —  a  cus- 
tom which  remans  with  us  to  this  day.  'Dower' 
('endowment'),  the  wife's  right  in  her  husband's 
property,  is  matter  of  Teutonic  law;  'dowry',  the 
wife's  contribution  to  the  husband's  estate,  is  matter 
of  Roman  law. 

We  read  in  early  Christian  times  of  the  white 
dress  of  the  bride,  of  the  veil  or  canopy  held  over 
the  parties,  of  the  joining  of  hands,  the  kiss  of  peace, 
and  the  gift  of  a  ring.  Also  —  after  it  ceased  to  be 
considered  pagan  —  the  custom  of  crowning  both 
bride  and  bridegroom  with  crowns  of  precious  metal 
or  flowers  or  leaves  was  permitted ;  and  this  remains 
in  the  East  to-day  as  an  important  part  of  the  mar- 
riage rite.  There  were  two  ceremonies  at  a  greater 
or  less  interval  of  time,  in  each  of  which  words  of 
pledge  were  spoken  by  both  parties  in  the  presence 
of  witnesses  —  the  betrothals  and  the  nuptials.  The 
ring  given  and  received,  if  we  follow  Tacitus,  was 
a  symbol  of  subjection,  as  if  it  were  a  link  of  a 
chain;  in  his  day  the  German  'braves'  wore  iron  rings, 
as  a  badge  of  inferiority,  until  they  had  killed  their 
man.  But  Clement  of  Alexandria  makes  it  a  symbol 
of  equality  and  trust ;  the  bridegroom  gives  the  bride 


246  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

a  gold  ring,  says  he,  "not  for  ornament,  but  that  she 
may  with  it  seal  up  what  has  to  be  kept  safe,  as  the 
care  of  keeping  the  house  belongs  to  her."  Perhaps 
there  were  different  origins  of  the  custom  among 
different  nations. 

Part,  at  least,  of  the  formula  for  betrothal  and 
marriage  must  have  been,  as  they  are,  in  the  ver- 
nacular, while  in  Western  Europe  the  whole  of  other 
services  was  and  is  in  Latin.  As  a  consequence, 
the  marriage  service  of  the  Prayer  Book  has  kept 
antique  forms  of  words,  though  some  have  been 
dropped  and  some  modernized.  The  English  Book 
has  omitted  'spousage',  'for  fairer  for  fouler'  (or  like 
words),  and  has  changed  'till  death  us  depart'  to  'till 
death  us  do  part' ;  and  our  Book  has  omitted  'with  my 
body  I  thee  worship',  which  was  the  man's  acknowl- 
edgment of  the  honor  due  to  the  wife,  as  correlative 
to  her  promise  to  obey  him;  but  we  still  have  'I 
plight  thee,  I  give  thee,  my  troth',  'allege'  meaning 
'plead'  in  court,  'endow'  in  its  sense  of  granting 
legal  rights  in  property,  'pronounce'  in  the  sense  of 
'proclaim'.  The  English  service  follows  the  Sarum 
Use  pretty  closely,  enlarging  the  opening  exhortation 
with  an  'excursus'  on  the  purposes  of  the  ordinance, 
prescribing  the  joining  of  hands  with  the  proclama- 
tion of  marriage,  and  after  Introit  and  Collect  pro- 
viding an  address  to  be  read  'if  there  be  no  sermon'. 
Until  1662,  the  last  rubric  ordered  that  "The  new- 
married  persons,  the  same  day  of  their  marriage,  must 
receive  the  Holy  Communion";  it  has  been  changed 


THE  SOLEMNIZA  TION  OF  MA  TRIMONY     247 

to  read  that  "It  is  convenient  [that  is,  seemly]  that 
the  new-married  persons  should  receive  the  Holy 
Communion  at  the  time  of  their  marriage  or  the  first 
opportunity  after  their  marriage." 

In  our  American  Book,  the  service  has  been  much 
shortened  from  the  English.  A  part  of  what  was 
left  out  of  the  opening  exhortation  was  restored  in 
1892,  but  it  is  still  shorter  and  better  than  the  Eng- 
lish; and  everything  after  the  first  blessing  —  in- 
troit,  prayers,  and  sermon  (which  makes  the  service, 
as  Captain  Cuttle  said,  end  with  'amazement') — 
was  not  taken  into  our  Book.  But  the  service  still 
remains  a  combination  of  that  for  the  espousals  and 
that  for  the  nuptials.  The  dividing-point  is  at  the 
question,  'Who  giveth  this  woman  V  when  the  father 
puts  his  daughter  into  the  hands  of  the  Church,  re- 
linquishing his  ^patria  potestas\  that  she  may  be 
given  to  her  husband.  This  'first  service'  was  of  old 
said  at  the  entrance  of  the  church,  as  Chaucer  tells 
us  of  the  Wife  of  Bath:  "Housbondes  at  chirche- 
dore  she  hadde  fyve" ;  and  it  is  now  often  said  at  the 
entrance  to  the  choir  or  at  the  foot  of  the  chancel- 
steps,  which  place  indeed  may  be  meant  in  the 
rubric  by  'the  body  of  the  Church'.^  In  that  case, 
after  the  betrothal,  the  brdegroom  leads  the  bride  to 
the  rail  of  the  sanctuary  for  the  'second  service'. 

The  minister  should  be  quite  sure  that  he  under- 


'See  note  as  to  the  place  of  the  Lord's  Table,  page  167.  It 
may  be  argued  that  our  Book  expects  the  whole  service  to  be  in 
'  the  body  of  the  Church '. 


248  THE  BOOK  OF  COMAfON  PRA  YER 

Stands  the  law  of  the  State  in  which  he  lives,  or  in 
which  he  officiates,  in  regard  to  marriage,  and 
should  conform  strictly  to  it,  as  well  as  to  the 
Canon  of  the  Church  (Canon  39)  which  deals  with  the 
subject;  and  he  should  also  be  careful  to  return  to 
the  State  or  town  authorities  the  evidence  that  he 
has  solemnized  the  marriage,  and  to  make  full  entry 
of  it  in  the  proper  Parish  Register.  It  is  well  to 
remember  that  the  publication  of  banns  is  no  longer 
required  with  us;  and  that  no  clergyman  is  obliged 
by  civil  or  ecclesiastical  law  to  perform  any  mar- 
riage, so  that  it  is  sometimes  his  duty  to  ask  ques- 
tions which  are  not  answered  in  the  licence  that  is 
brought  to  him.  The  English  Book  requires  all 
marriages  to  be  in  a  church;  our  Book  permits  them 
in  'some  proper  house' ;  both  Books  provide  for 
witnesses  by  the  requirement  that  the  parties  come 
'with  their  friends  and  neighbours'.  Untold  trouble 
would  be  prevented  if  the  clergy,  following  at  least 
the  spirit  of  this  requirement,  would  make  sure  that 
the  parties  presenting  themselves  are  not  attempting 
to  escape  from  the  presence  of  those  who  ought 
naturally  to  be  asked  to  signify  their  assent. 

The  man  stands  on  the  right  of  the  woman  during 
the  service,  but  when  the  service  is  ended  he  'wor- 
ships' her  by  giving  her  the  place  at  his  right  (see 
Psalm  xlv.  10  ).  The  exhortation  refers  to  the  insti- 
tution of  marriage  in  Eden,  and  to  its  mystical 
meaning,  to  Christ's  blessing  of  marriage  at  Cana, 
and  to  the  commendation  of  it  in  the  Epistle  to  the 


THE  SOLEMNIZA  TION  OF  MA  TRIMONY     249 

Hebrews  (here,  as  was  long  the  belief,  attributed  to 
St.  Paul),  and  calls  for  objections  from  the  congre- 
gation. The  parties  are  then  solemnly  charged  not 
to  proceed  in  the  service,  making  as  it  does  a  life- 
long change  in  their  positions  before  God  and  man, 
if  they  know  of  any  impediment.  'Lawfully'  must 
apply  to  the  law  of  God  as  well  as  that  of  the  State ; 
'lawful',  at  the  end,  under  present  circumstances, 
seems  to  refer  only  to  the  law  of  God.  'Allow',  as  in 
the  baptismal  service  (see  page  218),  means  'approve'. 
Probably  no  clergyman  with  us  would  be  ready  to 
proceed  with  a  service  as  to  the  legality  of  which  he 
had  doubts,  on  the  surety  of  anyone  that  if  he  was 
acting  illegally  he  should  be  'indemnified',  that  is 
that  his  surety  would  bear  the  amount  of  fine  and 
costs  to  which  he  might  be  subjected  in  case  of  con- 
viction ;  but  the  rubric  frees  him  from  ecclesiastical 
censure  if  he  wishes  to  do  so.  An  impediment 
'alleged'  is  an  impediment  formally  pleaded,  as  in 
court.  If  an  objection  is  made,  which  the  clergy- 
man knows  to  be  groundless  or  as  to  the  ground- 
lessness of  which  he  is  reasonably  satisfied,  he  is  to 
proceed.  'M.'  in  this  service,  as  was  noted  a  few 
pages  back,  is  a  printer's  change  for  the  'N.'  which 
should  designate  both  the  man  and  the  woman.  The 
statement  that  'M.'  and  'N.'  stand  for  maritus  and 
nympka,  husband  and  bride,  is  absurd.  The  letter 
stands  for  the  baptismal  name ;  but  the  best  author- 
ity is  for  using  only  so  much  of  the  baptismal  name 
as  is  commonly  employed ;  t  e  late  Queen  of  Eng- 


250  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

land  and  her  consort  were  married  as  Victoria  and 
Albert. 

The  parties  having,  in  answer  to  questions,  ex- 
pressed their  desire  to  marry  each  other,  and  the 
father  (or  friend  representing  him  or  his  authority) 
having  through  the  priest  relinquished  to  the  bride- 
groom his  authority  over  the  bride,  they  now  proceed 
to  marry  each  other  by  the  giving  of  'troth'  (that  is 
'truth'),  the  minister  causing  each  to  take  the 
other's  hand  and  dictating  the  proper  form  of  words.* 
The  manner  of  giving  the  ring  is  confused  in  our 
Book  by  the  omission  of  an  obsolete  requirement 
from  the  rubric/  In  the  English  Book  it  reads:  "The 
man  shall  give  unto  the  woman  a  ring,  laying  the 
same  upon  the  book,  with  the  accustomed  duty  to 
the  priest  and  clerk.  And  the  minister  taking  the 
ring  shall  deliver  it  unto  the  man",  etc.  That  is  to 
say,  the  man  gives  the  ring  to  the  woman  by  first 
laying  it  on  the  clergyman's  book  that  it  may  have 


^Some  of  the  ancient  forms,  with  quaint  phraseology,  are 
given  in  Bhint ;  in  one  of  them  the  bride  promises  to  be 
'bonour  [or  'bonere']  and  buxum';  where  'bonour'  is  for 
'  bon '  or  '  bonny ',  meaning  '  good  ',  '  gentle ',  and  '  buxom '  is 
'bow-som',  that  is,  'obedient',  'complaisant',  from  which  it 
came  to  mean  '  good-natured '  and  then  '  healthy '.  An  old 
writer  says  that  "  God  took  upon  him  humble  buxomnesse  " ; 
and  the  Golden  Litany  prays  Christ  to  have  mercy  on  us  by  His 
'infinite  buxomnes'. 

'We  read  occasionally  of  a  service  with  two  rings,  which 
seems  abnormal.  But  Archbishop  Hermann  provided  for  the 
use  of  two  rings,  if  the  parties  could  afford  them  ;  and  the 
(modern)  Old  Catholics  use  two  rings. 


THE  SOLEMNIZA  77 ON  OF  MA  TR7M0NY     25 1 

his  blessing,  or  at  least  that  the  act  may  have  his 
sanction,  and  then  receiving  it  from  the  clergyman 
to  be  put  upon  the  woman's  hand.  To  'pass  the  ring 
around',  as  the  saying  is,  is  not  rubrical,  nor  has  it 
any  meaning.*  The  rubric  of  1549  read:  "The  man 
shall  give  unto  the  woman  a  ring,  and  other  tokens 
of  spousage,  as  gold  and  silver,  laying  the  same  upon 
the  book",  etc.,  and  the  form  at  giving  the  ring  was: 
"With  this  ring  I  thee  wed;  this  gold  and  silver  I 
thee  give;'  with  my  body  I  thee  worship;  and  with 
all  my  worldly  goods  I  thee  endow." 

The  parties  having  thus,  strictly  speaking,  mar- 
ried themselves  under  the  protection  of  the  Church, 
the  minister  bids  the  congregation  to  prayer.  The 
faithful  living  together  of  Isaac  and  Rebecca  must 
refer  to  marital  faithfulness;  Isaac  was  almost,  if  not 
quite,  the  only  one  of  the  eminent  men  of  the  Old 
Testament  of  whom  we  know  that  had  but  one 
wife.     The   formal    recognition   of   the   marriage   is 


*  Mr.  Pullan  gives  us  an  interesting  note  (pp.  222,  223)  on 
the  wedding  ring.  The  mediaeval  English  custom,  he  says, 
was  to  put  it  on  the  fourth  finger  of  the  right  hand,  and  the 
English  Roman  Catholics  followed  this  custom  till  the  middle 
of  the  eighteenth  century.  There  is  in  a  Sarum  rubric  an  ex- 
planation that  the  fourth  finger  is  the  ring-finger  because  a  vein 
runs  from  it  to  the  heart. 

*  This  was  probably  the  pledge  of  '  endowment '  or  of  '  dower ', 
into  the  actual  use  of  which  the  wife  did  not  come  until  her 
husband's  death.  Some  older  forms  had  '  all  my  worldly  cathel ' 
or  '  cattle ',  that  is,  '  chattels .'  Compare  the  Latin  ptcnnia 
from  peats,  a  sheep. 


252  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

made  by  joining  the  hands  of  the  parties,  and  the 
formal  proclamation  (from  Hermann's 'Consultation') 
follows,  with  a  closing  benediction.  As  has  been 
suggested  more  than  once,  the  clergyman  pronounces 
or  publishes  that  the  parties  have  been  duly  married, 
and  the  service  which  the  Church  performs  is  the 
"Solemnization  of  Matrimony."'  The  minister's 
kissing  the  bride  at  the  close  of  the  ceremony  was 
probably  the  last  survival  of  the  kiss  of  peace  at  the 
beginning  of  the  Communion  Office;  formerly,  he 
kissed  the  bridegroom,  and  the  bridegroom  then 
kissed  the  bride. 

The  bridegroom  and  the  bride  should  kneel  for  the 
final  blessing;  all  others,  including  their  immediate 
attendants,  should  stand  during  the  whole  service. 

The  question  is  asked,  whether  a  deacon  may  read 
the  marriage  service.  The  law  of  the  land  recog- 
nizes the  deacons  of  our  Church  as  'Ministers  of  the 
Gospel',  and  permits  them  to  marry;  and  our  service 
uses  the  word  'Minister'  throughout,  and  that  inten- 
tionally, as  the  English  Book  has  confusedly  'Priest', 
'Curate',  and  'Minister'.  But  the  Benediction  is 
priestly,  and  evidently  ought  not  to  be  said  by  a 
deacon.  It  would  seem,  therefore,  that  a  deacon 
may  use  the  marriage  service,  without  the  Bene- 
diction, in  any  place  where  he  has  the  Bishop's  or 
priest's  authority  to  minister. 


*  Shakespeare  makes  the  priest  say  :  "And  all  the  ceremony 
of  this  compact,  Seal'd  in  my  function,  by  my  testimony.' 


THE  SOLEMNIZA  TION  OF  MA  TRIM  ON  Y     253 

It  is  sometimes  said  that  'man  and  wife'  in  the 
service  should  be  'husband  and  wife'.  But  'man'  in 
old  English  often  meant  'husband',  as  the  Latin 
vir  and  the  Greek  avr]p\  and  'wife'  often  meant  a 
woman,  whether  married  or  not,  as  still  in  'fishwife', 
'housewife',  'midwife'.  In  fact  the  word  'woman' 
is  'wiman',  'wifman',  wifeman'  (the  sound  of  'i'  is 
still  preserved  in  the  plural,  though  spelled  'women'). 
'Man  and  wife'  is  the  old  monosyllabic  way  of  put- 
ting what  might  be  'husband  and  woman',  'husband 
and  wife',  or  'man  and  woman' ;  and  it  is  the  more 
common  legal  form  of  words. 

During  the  late  revision  of  our  Prayer  Book  the  following  was 
proposed  but  not  adopted  for  use  if  the  Holy  Communion  were 
celebrated  at  the  time  of  a  marriage  :  — 

Introit;  Psalm  cxxviii.  [The  English  Book  gives  as  an 
alternative  Psalm  Ixvii.] 

The  Collect:  Almighty  and  merciful  God,  who  by  thy  power 
didst  create  our  first  parents  and  by  thy  consecration  didst  knit 
them  together  in  holy  wedlock  ;  Vouchsafe  to  send  thy  blessing 
upon  all  who  are  joined  together  in  thy  holy  Name,  and  so  fill 
them  with  thy  grace,  that  obeying  thy  will,  and  continuing 
always  in  safety  under  thy  protection,  they  may  abide  in  thy 
love  unto  their  lives' end  ;  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord.   Amen. 

The  Epistle  :  Ephesians  v.  22-33. 

The  Gospel :  St.  John  ii.  i-ii. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Bingham  (J.  F.),  Christian  Marriage;  The  Ceremony,  His- 
tory and  Significance. 

Evans  (Hugh  Davey),  The  Christian  Doctrine  of  Marriage. 

Fulton  (John) ,  The  Laws  of  Marriage. 

Howard  (G.  E.),  The  History  of  Matrimonial  Institutions; 
3  vols. 


XIII. 
THE  VISITATION  OF  THE  SICK 

THE  Visiting  of  the  Sick  is  a  duty  of  natural 
piety;  but,  like  other  such  duties,  it  is  made  a 
Christian  duty  by  the  example  and  the  words  of  our 
Lord,  and  it  becomes  a  special  duty  of  the  Christian 
minister.  The  only  Scriptural  suggestion  of  a  cere- 
mony in  connection  with  such  visitation  is  the 
anointing  and  laying-on  of  hands  in  the  case  of  the 
Apostles  (St.  Mark  vi.  13,  xvi.  18)  and  the  prayer 
and  anointing  by  the  leaders  ('presbyters')  of  which 
St.  James  writes  (St.  James  v.  14,  15).  At  a  com- 
paratively early  date  we  find  provision  for  prayers 
for  a  sick  man,  and  in  mediaeval  times  the  Sarum 
Manual  provided  an  elaborate  office  for  a  formal  visi- 
tation of  the  sick  on  which  our  office  is  based,  and 
from  which,  indeed,  it  is  in  considerable  part  taken. 
Thus  the  'salutation'  of  the  house,  commanded  by 
the  Lord  Himself  (St.  Luke  x.  5;  St.  Matthew  x.  12), 
was  said  at  the  entrance,  the  antiphon  'Remember 
not,  Lord',  was  said  with  the  Penitential  Psalms 
which  the  priest  repeated  on  his  way  to  the  house; 
in  the  sick  man's  room  were  said  the  Kyrie,  Lord's 
Prayer,  and  versicles,  with  nine  prayers,  two  of 
which  we  retain;  then  followed  an  exhortation  to 
patience  and  faith,  with  an  examination  of  the  faith 
of  the  sick  man  based  on  the  Creed,  to  charity  and 


THE  VISIT  A  TION  OF  THE  SICK  255 

hope,  to  contrition  and  repentance,  and  to  the  giving 
of  alms.  After  his  confession  of  sin,  the  priest  gave 
him  absolution  with  the  ancient  words  of  the  prayer 
for  reconciliation  beginning  in  our  Book  'O  most 
merciful  God'.  If  Extreme  Unction  was  adminis- 
tered. Psalm  Ixxi  was  said,  with  the  antiphon  'O 
Saviour  of  the  world',  and  the  anointing  was  per- 
formed with  prayers;  and  then  the  Holy  Communion 
was  administered  to  the  sick  man,  if  it  was  possible. 
It  is  evident  from  this  outline  of  the  ancient  ser- 
vice, as  indeed  from  the  study  of  the  form  which  it 
has  taken  in  our  own,  that  the  former  part  was  in- 
tended for  a  case  of  serious  sickness,  and  the  latter 
part  for  a  case  of  impending  death.  Indeed  it  would 
almost  seem  to  assume  that  this  would  be  the  only 
time  in  which  the  minister  could  be  with  the  sick 
person  in  order  to  prepare  him  for  the  end  of  his 
earthly  life.  Yet  the  second  prayer  and  the  exhorta- 
tion express  a  hope  of  recovery  and  of  a  benefit  to  be 
derived  in  this  life  from  God's  fatherly  visitation. 
It  must  have  been  in  the  earlier  times,  as  it  is 
to-day,  that  the  Church  meant  this  office  to  be  in 
ordinary  cases  rather  a  'directory'  than  a  prescribed 
office  (as  indeed  appears  in  the  case  of  the  exhorta- 
tion from  the  words  'or  other  like');  and  it  does  give 
admirable  instruction  as  to  the  preparation  which 
any  man  should  be  called  upon  to  take  for  death, 
and  an  admirable  example  of  the  serious  though 
really  hopeful  way  in  which  the  Church  bids  her 
members  look  on  faith  and  duty  and  our  responsi- 


256  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 

bility  for  both,  as  we  pass  through  life  as  well  as  in 
the  day  of  judgment.  The  faithful  and  devout 
clergyman  will  read  other  passages  of  Scripture, 
speak  of  divers  matters  in  different  strains,  and  use^ 
prayers  from  other  parts  of  the  Prayer  Book  or  from 
other  sources ;  but  he  will  find  that  he  rarely  passes 
far  from  the  suggestions  of  this  service.  And  both 
the  visitor  and  the  visited  will  do  well  to  read  it 
from  time  to  time,  and  to  meditate  upon  it;  in  fact, 
it  has  many  wholesome  lessons  for  the  well. 

The  interrogative  Creed,  which  in  our  Book 
stands  only  here,  differs  in  its  wording  in  several 
places  (as  already  noted)  from  that  in  Morning  and 
Evening  Prayer.  Ordinarily,  the  clergyman  will  ask 
the  sick  man  to  say  the  Creed  with  him  in  some 
service. 

The  long  rubric  after  the  Creed  contains  many 
useful  suggestions.  The  laws  of  our  States  as  to  the 
inheritance  of  property  are  such  that  there  is  not 
always  the  same  reason  as  formerly  for  urging  all 
persons  to  make  their  wills,  and  there  are  many  cases 
in  which  it  would  be  an  impertinence  to  do  this.' 
But,  on  the  other  hand,  there  are  many  cases  in 
which  a  clergyman,  in  confidential  conversation  with 
persons,  may  well  speak  with  them  of  the  matter  and 
urge  its  importance.  While  it  is  the  duty  of  the 
minister  not  to  interfere  with  the  lawyer  in  a  matter 


^  It  should  be  remembered  that,  until  quite  modern  times, 
matters  testamentary  came  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  ecclesi- 
astical courts. 


THE  VISITA  TION  OF  THE  SICK  257 

which  belongs  distinctly  and  professionally  to  the 
latter  —  as  indeed  he  must  not  interfere  with  the 
physician  in  the  physician's  sphere  of  duty — it  is  well 
for  him  to  know  how  to  draw  a  simple  will  and  to 
see  that  it  is  legally  attested;  but  he  should  not, 
except  under  extraordinary  circumstances,  write  for 
another  person  a  will  which  contains  a  legacy  to  the 
Church. 

The  meaning  of  the  rubric  beginning  'The  Exhor- 
tation before  rehearsed'  is  that  the  minister  may,  as 
we  say,  'have  his  talk'  with  the  sick  man,  before  he 
beigns  the  service  of  prayer  with  'Remember  not. 
Lord';  it  seems  to  suggest  that  the  exhortation 
and  what  goes  with  it  may  be  confidential,  while 
the  family  and  others  may  be  present  at  the 
prayers. 

The  prayer  'O  most  merciful  God',  though  called 
a  'Collect',  is  (as  has  been  said)  the  ancient  form  of 
Reconciliation  of  a  Penitent,  and  therefore  really  a 
solemn  Absolution  of  the  precatory  kind.'  It  dates 
back  to  the  Gelasian  Sacramentary,  and  has  been 
used  for  at  least  twelve  centuries,  though  in 
mediaeval  times  an  indicative  form  came  to  be  used 
with  it,  or  sometimes  to  displace  it.  It  should  be 
said  only  by  a  priest  and  by  him  standing.  An 
absolution  in  the  indicative  form  is  placed  before  it 
in  the  English  Book,  with  a  rubric  to  the  effect  that 


'  As  to  the  three  forms  or  kinds  of  absolution,  see  on  pages 
75.  76. 

18 


258  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 

it  shall  be  used,  if  the  sick  person  humbly  and 
heartily  desire  it,  after  he  has  made  a  special  con- 
fession of  some  weighty  matter  with  which  he  feels 
his  conscience  troubled ;  and  it  is  made  the  duty  of 
the  priest  to  move  him  to  such  confession  if  he  is 
thus  troubled.  Our  Prayer  Book  has  lost  nothing  by 
omitting  this  mediaeval  form  and  falling  back  upon 
what  was  for  so  long  "the  principal  form  of  absolu- 
tion in  the  Western  Church"  (Frere's  Procter),  "used 
long  before  the  other  was  introduced"  (Blunt);  and 
it  must  be  remembered,  besides,  that  it  leads  up  to 
the  final  absolution  in  the  Communion  of  the  Sick. 

The  Unction  of  the  Sick,  enjoined  by  St.  James, 
was  for  recovery ;  Extreme  Unction  (that  is,  the  last 
or  final  unction)  came  in  mediaeval  times  to  be  an 
anointing  of  the  dying  with  a  view  of  imparting 
spiritual  grace.  There  is  no  allusion  to  any  anoint- 
ing of  the  sick  in  ante-Nicene  writers,'  but  the 
office-book  of  Bishop  Serapion  of  Thmuis  in  Egypt 
(about  the  year  350)  contains  a  'prayer  in  regard  to 
oil  of  the  sick',  which  asks  for  healing  and  recovery. 
And  after  anointing  came  into  use  again,  or  at  least 
became  more  common,  there  is  no  trace  before  the 
eighth  century  of  sick  people  being  anointed  for  the 
remission  of  their  sins,  or  for  the  removal  of  the 
reliquicB  of  sin,  or  to  impart  to  them  grace  en- 
abling them  to  die  happily  or  courageously;*  but  in 


■''Warren,  Liturgy  of  Ante-Nicene  Church,  pp.  161,  162. 
*  Puller,  Anointing  of  the  Sick,  p.  191. 


THE  VISITATION  OF  THE  SICK  259 

the  ninth  and  tenth  centuries  unction  came  to  be 
chiefly  regarded  as  a  preparation  for  death. 

In  the  Sarum  Use,  which  was  followed  in  the  Book 
of  1549,  it  was  not  yet  provided  that  the  anointing 
should  be  given  to  none  but  the  dying  or  that  it 
should  not  be  repeated,  though  no  doubt  it  was  often 
used  as  unction  in  extremis.  The  service  in  the 
first  English  Book  (as  already  noted)  was  simple; 
the  prayer  did  look  forward  with  great  hope  to  recov- 
ery, but  it  also  seemed  to  teach  that  the  use  of  this 
ordinance  was  for  spiritual  blessings,  forgiveness  and 
strength  against  temptation;  the  anointing  was  to  be 
on  the  forehead  and  breast  only,  and  not  on  all  organs 
of  sense  as  in  the  Roman  Use.  In  1552  all  provision 
for  unction  was  omitted,  doubtless  from  the  feeling 
that  as  practised  it  was  a  "corrupt  following  of  the 
Apostles",  and  not  the  act  of  which  St.  James  wrote. 
Whether  the  anointing  of  the  sick  with  prayer  for 
recovery  may  be  used  with  the  sanction  of  the 
Bishop  as  an  extra-Prayer-Book  service,  is  a  question 
beyond  the  scope  of  this  volume.  In  the  Eastern 
Church,  it  may  be  added,  the  rite  is  practised  in  its 
primitive  form,  seven  priests  attending  for  its  nor- 
mal ministration. 

Our  Book  has  substituted  Psalm  cxxx,  'De  pro- 
fundis',  for  the  Psalm  Ixxi  of  the  old  Unction  and 
the  present  English  Book;  but  we  retain  the  beauti- 
ful antiphon,  a  benedictory  prayer  composed  in  1549, 
and  the  Aaronic  blessing  (Numbers  vi.  24),  which 
was  first  placed  here  in  1662. 


260  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

Of  the  additional  prayers,  the  first  four  are  in  the 
English  Book,  where  they  were  added  in  1662;  the 
Commendatory  Prayer,  which  has  for  almost  every- 
one some  tender  associations,  was  shortened  at  the 
last  American  revision.  The  other  three  are  pecu- 
liar to  our  Book;  the  first  of  these,  'O  God,  whose 
days  are  without  end',  is  from  Bishop  Jeremy  Taylor 
(who  died  in  1667),  and  is  a  fine  example  of  his  com- 
position. None  of  the  others  are  in  the  best  litur- 
gical style,  though  the  next  to  the  last  is  based  on  a 
prayer  of  Bishop  Taylor's. 

For  notes  on  the  Communion  of  the  Sick,  see 
at  the  end  of  the  Chapter  on  the  Holy  Communion, 
page  202. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Cope  (W.  H.)  and  Stretton  (Henry),  Visitatio  Infirmorum. 
Puller  (F.  W.),  The  Anointing  of  the  Sick  in  Scripture  and 
Tradition. 


XIV. 
THE  BURIAL  OF  THE  DEAD 

THE  Burial  of  the  Dead  has  always  been  con- 
sidered an  act  of  natural  religion,  a  'corporal 
deed  of  mercy'.  From  the  quiet  and  dignified  bur- 
ial of  Sarah  (Genesis  xxiii)  to  the  ceremonious  en- 
tombment of  some  of  the  kings  (2  Chronicles  xvi. 
14),  and  high  priests  {2  Chronicles  xxiv.  15,  16), 
and  from  the  dirge  over  Saul  and  Jonathan  (2 
Samuel  i.  17)  to  the  lament  for  good  King  Josiah 
(2  Chronicles  xxxv.  25),  we  read  of  funeral  rites 
among  the  Jews  of  the  older  time.  In  the  Gospels 
we  read  of  but  one  funeral  procession,  that  of  the 
son  of  the  widow  of  Nain,  led  by  the  mother,  as  was 
the  custom  in  Galilee;  and  of  but  two  burials,  that 
of  St.  John  Baptist  and  that  of  Lazarus  (St.  Mark 
vi.  29;  St.  John  xi.  38),  besides  the  burial  of  our 
Lord  Himself,  which  has  found  mention  in  both  our 
Creeds.  The  Jews  made  great  wailing  over  their 
dead;  and  so  did  the  Christians  when  they  carried 
Stephen  to  his  burial  (Acts  viii.  2);  but  soon  we 
read  of  a  quieter  mourning  by  the  bedside  of 
Tabitha  (Acts  ix.  39).  The  Epistles  and  the  Book 
of  Revelation  have  many  passages  which  tell  of  the 
blessedness  of  those  who  are  sleeping  in  Christ. 

We  know  little  of  the  ceremonies  practised  in  the 
early  Church  at  burials,  other  than  those  which  were 


262  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 

local  customs,  except  that  from  an  early  time  the 
Eucharist  was  celebrated  with  prayers,  among  which 
was  the  commendation  of  the  departed  soul  to  rest 
and  peace.  The  body  being  carried  to  the  church 
soon  after  death,  and  the  burial,  except  in  special 
cases,  not  being  long  deferred,  it  became  a  custom 
to  say  the  night  services  with  special  psalms,  anti- 
phons,  and  lessons, —  as  Vespers,  Compline,  and 
Matins  (or  Vigils)  of  the  Dead.  One  of  the  psalms 
at  Vespers  was  the  Ii6th,  the  antiphon  for  which 
was  the  ninth  verse,  in  our  version  *I  will  walk 
before  the  Lord  in  the  land  of  the  living',  but  in 
Latin  'Placebo  Domino  in  regione  vivorum  ' ;  from 
which  the  Vespers  of  the  dead  were  known  as 
Placebo.  And  one  of  the  psalms  at  Matins  was 
the  5th,  with  an  antiphon  taken  from  the  eighth 
verse,  where  we  read,  'Make  thy  way  plain  before 
my  face',  in  Latin  ' Dirige  in  conspectu  tno  viam 
meant ' ;  and  this  gave  to  the  Matins  the  name  of 
Dirige,  from  which  we  get  the  word  'dirge'. 
Also,  from  the  Officium  or  Introit  in  the  service, 
^Requiem  ceternam  dona  eis,  Dornine,  et  lux  per- 
petua  luceat  eis ',  Mass  for  the  Dead  was  called 
Requiem. 

No  serivce  was  in  the  first  English  Book  changed 
as  much  from  the  corresponding  Latin  service  as  was 
that  for  burial.  The  old  services  had  become  very 
long  and  complicated,  and  the  ancient  prayers, 
which  assumed  that  the  faithful  departed  were  in 
peace  and  asked  that  they  might  have  rest  in   the 


THE  BURIAL  OF  THE  DEAD  263 

land  of  the  living  and  at  the  last  the  joys  of  the 
resurrection,  had  become  prayers  that  they  might  be 
delivered  from  the  pains  of  purgatory,  which  were 
described  as  identical  with  the  pains  of  hell  except 
in  duration ;  so  that  the  reformers  not  only  desired  a 
briefer  service,  yet  with  longer  reading  of  Scripture, 
but  also  felt  the  necessity  of  removing  some  of  the 
prayers  and  also  of  modifying  the  phraseology  of 
others  which  in  themselves  would  not  formerly  have 
been  thought  objectionable.  In  1549,  there  was  a 
double  service,  as  now,  one  to  be  said  at  the  grave 
and  one  to  be  said  either  before  or  after  the  other  in 
the  church.  They  contained  all  that  is  in  our 
present  service,  except  that  the  psalms  were  differ- 
ent, with  other  prayers  which  were  omitted  in  1552 
from  a  fear  of  mediaeval  petitions  for  the  departed. 
Also  in  1549  there  was  provision  for  the  celebration 
of  the  Holy  Communion,  the  Introit  being  Psalm 
xlii,  the  Collect  being  the  prayer  which  now  stands 
at  the  end  of  the  service,  'O  merciful  God,  the 
Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ',  with  a  somewhat 
different  ending,^  the  Epistle,  i  Thessalonians  iv. 
13-18,  and  the  Gospel,  St.  John  vi.  35-41.  Our  ser- 
vice differs  little  from  the  English,  except  that  the 
psalms  have  been  abbreviated  and  the  closing 
phrases  of  the  committal  and  of  the  first  prayer  have 
been  changed,  the  new  wording  being  both  in  ex- 
cellent form  and  with  good  rhythm. 

*  It  still  has  in  the  English  Book  as  a  heading  the  words 
'  The  Collect '. 


264  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 

The  rubric  at  the  beginning,  excluding  three 
classes  of  people  from  burial  by  this  service,  dates 
from  1662.  Unbaptized  adults  have  by  their  own 
decision  never  been  admitted  to  membership  in  the 
Church,  whereas  of  unbaptized  infants  it  may  be 
said  that  it  has  been  the  Church's  wish  to  baptize 
them  and  that  they  have  never  refused  it;  excom- 
munication is  not  practised  now,  for  suspension 
from  the  Holy  Communion  is  not  excommunication, 
and  at  the  last  revision  of  the  Canons  all  provision 
for  a  possible  "deprivation  of  all  privileges  of  church 
membership"  was  removed  from  our  legislation;  and 
suicides  die  in  the  commission  of  an  extreme  crime 
against  themselves.  In  this  last  case,  the  decision 
as  to  whether  a  person  who  has  taken  his  own  life 
has  really  and  intentionally  'laid  violent  hands'  upon 
himself,  must  (except  in  very  extraordinary  circum- 
stances) be  left  to  the  officials  of  the  law,  whose  duty 
it  is  to  make  investigation  and  to  publish  what  they 
find  to  be  the  facts  of  the  case. 

But  though  a  clergyman  of  the  Church  may  not 
bury  unbaptized  adults  or  suicides  with  the  Church's 
office,  and  may  sometimes  find  it  his  duty  to  decline 
to  use  that  office  for  others  (as,  for  instance,  for  one 
who  has  died  or  been  killed  while  committing  some 
grievous  crime),  he  is  not  debarred  from  reading 
passages  of  Scripture  and  prayers  with  the  family  of 
such  an  one  in  their  home  and  at  the  grave.  A  suit- 
able psalm  at  such  a  time  is  the  51st  or  143rd;  and 
a  suitable  lesson  may  be  taken  from  Jeremiah  xxxi. 


THE  BURIAL  OF  THE  DEAD  265 

or  from  some  of  the  Lord's  words  of  comfort  in  the 
Gospels. 

The  second  rubric  implies,  as  is  ordinarily  the 
case  in  England  except  in  cities  and  large  towns, 
that  the  church  stands  in  the  churchyard,  and  that, 
as  was  explicitly  stated  in  the  first  Book,  the  ser- 
vice in  the  church  may  either  precede  or  follow  that 
at  the  grave.  The  latter  may  have  been  sometimes 
convenient  or  necessary  in  days  when  few  but  the 
rich  were  buried  in  coffins,  and  the  bodies  of  the 
dead  were  ordinarily  wrapped  and  tied  in  shrouds,  per- 
haps covered  with  the  parochial  pall,  which  made  all 
funerals  externally  alike,  and  thus  carried  on  a  bier. 
In  either  case  the  'Sentences' — really  anthems  or 
antiphons  —  are  normally  to  be  begun  at  the  church- 
yard gate  and  repeated  by  the  minister  as  he  goes 
'either  into  the  church  or  towards  the  grave'.  The 
exigencies  of  our  cemeteries  and  of  our  funeral  ar- 
rangements often  require  that  the  words  be  post- 
poned until  the  funeral  company  is  ready  to  enter 
the  church  or  is  close  to  the  grave.  When  the  part 
of  the  service  assigned  to  the  church  is  said  in  the 
house,  as  must  often  be  the  case  with  us,  these  open- 
ing anthems  should  be  reserved  and  read  at  the 
grave;  when  they  have  been  said  at  entering  the 
church,  they  should  not  be  repeated  in  the  burying- 
ground.* 


*  A  note  may  be  made  here  as  to  prayers  with  the  family  at  the 
home  before  the  body  is  carried  to  the  church.  The  service 
should  be  short,  with  one  or  two  Psalms  such  as  xxiii  and  cxxi, 


266  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

The  three  opening  anthems  are  words  respectively 
of  faith,  of  hope,  and  of  resignation.  The  first  was 
in  the  old  services  the  'antiphon'  to  Benedictus,  and 
the  second  a  'respond'  at  Matins;  the  third,  really  a 
double  verse,  was  first  provided  in  1549.  It  is  to  be 
regretted  that  the  first  passage  from  Job  is  not 
abbreviated,  as  in  the  Latin;  partly  because  the 
exact  meaning  of  the  middle  phrase  is  very  doubtful, 
and  partly  because  the  word  'worms*  is  not  in  the 
Hebrew  at  all;  'they  destroy  this  body'  is  a  way  of 
saying  'this  body  be  destroyed'. 

The  portions  of  Psalms  in  our  Book  are  not  so  long 
but  that  both  may  ordinarily  be  said,  and  that  to  the 
profit  and  comfort  of  those  who  are  present  at  the  ser- 
vice. If  a  distinction  is  made,  Psalm  xxxix  is  in 
some  part  suitable  for  a  younger  person,  and  Psalm 
xc  for  one  of  mature  years;  but  the  latter,  'a  Prayer 
of  Moses  the  man  of  God',  hardly  ought  ever  to  be 
omitted.  The  Lesson  deserves  careful  study,  and 
reading  which  shows  that  it  has  been  carefully 
studied.  The  service  in  church  will  ordinarily  be 
ended  (after  a  hymn,  if  it  is  convenient  to  have  one) 
by  the  Creed  —  and  that  preferably  the  Apostles' 
Creed  — and  prayers,  which  should  not  be  too  many. 
The  prayer  for  persons  in  affliction  will  certainly  be 
used;  at  the  funeral  of  a  communicant,  that  at  the 
end  of  the  Visitation  of  the  Sick,  beginning  'O  God, 


a  short  lesson  such  as  Wisdom  iii.  1-9  or  i  Thessalonians  iv. 
13-18  or  Revelation  vii.  9-17,  and  two  or  three  prayers  either 
from  the  Prayer  Book  or  from  some  good  manual  of  devotion. 


THE  BURIAL  OF  THE  DEAD  267 

whose  days  are  without  end';  the  first  and  second  of 
the  additional  prayers  at  the  end  of  this  service  may 
be  added;  and  a  judicious  selection  can  be  made 
from  the  Collects  for  Easter  (at  the  earlier  Commun- 
ion), the  fourth  Sunday  after  Easter,  the  fourth 
Sunday  after  Trinity,  All  Saints'  Day,  the  first 
Sunday  in  Advent,  'We  humbly  beseech  thee',  at  the 
end  of  the  Litany,  and  others;  also,  the  Collect  for 
the  Day,  unless  it  is  manifestly  inappropriate,  may 
well  be  used. 

The  verses  from  Job  (xiv.  i,  2)  'Man  that  is  born 
of  a  woman',  taken  from  the  Vigils  of  the  Dead,  and 
the  wonderful  Sequence  in  three  paragraphs,  begin- 
ning Media  vita  ('In  the  midst  of  life  we  are  in 
death'),  were  meant  to  be  repeated  while  the  attend- 
ants were  making  ready  to  lower  the  body  (often 
coffinless)  into  the  grave.  If  possible,  they  should 
be  so  repeated  now,  as  the  rubric  directs,  that  the 
minds  of  the  mourners  may  be  drawn  away  from  that 
on  which  their  eyes  cannot  but  be  fixed  to  the  great 
and  eternal,  though  most  solemn  and  awe-inspiring, 
truths  which  are  declared  in  these  words.  Media 
vita,  written  as  a  'Prose'  or  'Sequence'  to  be  said 
after  the  Epistle  (see  page  154),  had  been  taken  into 
the  Sarum  Breviary  as  an  antiphon  to  Nunc  Dimittis 
during  part  of  Lent;  it  is  only  in  the  Anglican  use 
that  its  words  are  read  in  the  Burial  Offios.  They  are 
wonderfully  appropriate,  having,  as  Blunt  says,  "a 
solemn  magnificence,  and  at  the  same  time  a  wailing 
prayerful ness,    which  make  them   unsurpassable  by 


268  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

any  analogous  portion  of  any  ritual  whatever."  And 
including,  as  they  do,  the  words  of  the  Greek  Trisa- 
gion,  'Holy  God,  Holy  Mighty  One,  Holy  Undying 
One,  have  mercy  on  us*  (see  page  153),  they  carry  our 
thoughts  through  all  the  range  of  worship  and  godly 
fear  in  the  Christian  Church.  The  composition  of 
this  Sequence  is  traditionally  ascribed  to  Notker,  a 
monk  of  St.  Gall  in  Switzerland,  who  died  in  the  year 
912,  and  in  whom  its  thought  is  said  to  have  been 
inspired  as  he  watched  men  building  a  bridge  over  a 
deep  gorge.'  This  tradition  cannot  be  sustained;* 
but  the  words  are  none  the  less  impressive,  whatever 
were  the  circumstances  under  which  they  were 
moulded  into  their  present  form.  In  the  Middle  Ages 
this  Sequence  was  constantly  used ;  it  became  a 
battle-hymn,  and  its  use  was  believed  to  give  super- 
natural powers;  so  that  in  1316  a  synod  at  Cologne 
forbade  its  use  except  on  occasions  especially  ap- 
proved by  the  Bishop. 

The  committal  follows,  in  which  the  threefold 
casting  of  the  earth,  as  is  customary  with  the  words 
'earth  to  earth,  ashes  to  ashes,  dust  to  dust',  is  to  be 
considered  the  formal  burial.*  The  rubric  in  the 
first  Book  instructed  the  priest  to  cast  earth  upon 
the  body  with  the  words  of  committal;  in  1552  the 


'The  commentators  refer  us  to  the  verses  of  Shakespeare  in- 
spired by  the  sight  of  samphire-gatherers  on  the  cliff  at  Dover, 
in  King  Lear,  iv.  6. 

*  See  Julian's  Dictionary  of  Hymnology,  sub  voce. 

^  See  the  reference  on  page  210. 


THE  BURIAL  OF  THE  DEAD  269 

present  words  'by  some  standing  by'  were  substi- 
tuted. It  is  probable  that  the  priest  began  the 
burial  as  directed,  and  that  others  filled  the  grave 
while  the  following  anthem  was  sung.  That  anthem, 
'I  heard  a  voice',  formerly  the  antiphon  to  Magnificat 
in  the  service  for  the  dead,  carries  on  the  thoughts 
in  the  direction  of  the  grand  words  of  hope  and 
assured  victory  with  which  the  committal  had  ended.* 
The  service  closes  with  the  Kyrie,  the  Lord's 
Prayer  and  one  or  both  of  two  prayers,  somewhat 
modified  from  their  English  form ;  the  former  may 
well  be  kept  for  the  burial  of  communicants. 

The  three  additional  prayers  were  placed  in  our 
Book  at  the  revision  of  1892;  the  first  and  the  second 
are  modern;  the  third  is  taken  from  the  commemora- 
tion of  the  faithful  departed  in  the  Communion 
Office  of  the  first  Book  of  Edward  VI  and  the 
Scottish  Office.  The  closing  rubric  explains  itself; 
sometimes  by  reason  of  distance  or  of  stress  of 
weather  all  of  the  service,  or  all  except  the  com- 
mittal, must  be  said  in  the  church  or  in  the  house 
which  serves  as  the  church.  The  form  of  the  com- 
mittal at  sea  is  made  very  touching  by  the  use  of  the 
words,  'The  sea  shall  give  up  her  dead'. 

In  the  process  of  our  last  revision,  it  was  proposed 
to  provide  a  special  service  for  the  burial  of  children, 
in   the   general  form  of  the  other  service  but  with 


^In  the  Eastern  Church  Psalm  xxiv.  i  is  sung  at  the  burial: 
"  The  earth  is  the  Lord's,  and  all  that  therein  is :  the  compass 
of  the  world,  and  they  that  dwell  therein." 


270  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 

different  psalms  and  lessons  and  at  least  modified 
prayers.  But  the  service  prepared  did  not  commend 
itself,  and  it  was  felt  that  all  members  of  the  Church, 
whatever  their  age,  should  have  the  same  form  of 
burial  at  the  Church's  hands,  and  that  there  is 
sufficient  room  for  needed  variations  in  the  service 
with  the  family  and  in  the  prayers  used  after  the 
Lesson.'  The  careful  reader  will  see  that  the  form 
of  several  phrases  in  the  English  Book  was  changed 
for  our  Book  of  1790,  in  order  that  they  might  be 
suitable  for  as  many  persons  as  possible;  and  in  this 
our  Church  was  carrying  out  a  principle  adopted 
long  before  in  England.  At  the  time  of  death,  the 
Church  casts  the  mantle  of  her  faith  and  hope  and 
charity  over  all  her  members  who  have  not  utterly 
repudiated  their  membership,  and  leaves  them  in  the 
hands  of  God  against  the  day  of  His  just  and  merci- 
ful judgment. 


'See  Bp.  Coxe's  Christian  Ballads,  "Churchyards",  fourth 
stanza. 


XV. 

OTHER  OFFICES 
The  Churching  of  Women 

THIS  service  of  Thanksgiving  —  not  of  Puri- 
fication, in  any  strict  sense,  though  it  was  so 
called  in  the  Sarum  Manual  and  the  Book  of  1549  — 
follows  closely  the  simple  service  of  former  days. 
It  was  meant  to  lead  up  to  the  Holy  Communion, 
and  for  that  reason  has  no  benedictory  prayer  at  the 
end.  'Decently  apparelled'  meant  that,  in  accord- 
ance with  English  custom,  she  should  wear  a  veil.^ 
The  'convenient  place'  was  defined  in  1549  to  be 
'nigh  unto  the  quire  door',  and  in  1552,  'nigh  unto 
the  place  where  the  Table  standeth' ;  either  the  fald- 
stool or  the  chancel  rail  would  seem  suitable,  in  cases 
where  the  Ordinary  has  given  no  direction.  The 
'hymn'  or  'cento'  from  Psalm  cxvi  is,  according  to 
our  rubric,  to  be  said  by  the  minister  and  the 
woman  together,  he  leading  her  in  the  words  of 
thanksgiving.  It  was  an  old  custom  that  with  her 
offerings  the  woman  brougnt  back  to  the  church  the 
chrisom  put  upon  her  child  in  baptism,  so  that  after 
this  it  was  no  longer  a  'chrisom  child'  (see  page  213). 


*Wheatly,  in  loco,  cites  a  cace  in  the  reign  of  James  I,  in 
which  a  woman  was  excommunicated  for  contempt  in  refusing 
to  wear  a  veil  at  her  churching. 


272  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

The  verb  'to  church,'  in  the  sense  of  bringing  or 
conducting  to  a  church,  that  one  may  receive  its 
rites  or  enter  (anew)  into  its  worship,  is  of  early  use. 
It  is  applied  in  Scotland  to  a  newly  married  couple  on 
their  first  attendance  in  church  after  the  wedding,  and 
in  England  the  formal  attendance  of  judges  at  church 
on  the  first  Sunday  in  term  is  called  'Churching  the 
Judges'.  It  might  have  been  noted  before  that  Con- 
firmation was  sometimes  called  'bishoping'. 

Forms  of  Prayer  to  be  Used  at  Sea 

These  forms  of  supplemental  devotion  were  com- 
posed for  the  Prayer  Book  of  1662,  and  are  attributed 
to  Dr.  Robert  Sanderson,  Bishop  of  Lincoln,  the 
author  of  a  once  famous  volume  of  lectures  on  Con- 
science, who  died  in  1663.  They  displaced  a  Pres- 
byterian form  of  prayer  for  the  Navy,  set  forth  under 
the  Long  Parliament  (1640-53).  There  are  prayers 
for  use  in  storm  and  before  battle,  and  thanksgivings 
after  the  quieting  of  a  tempest  or  the  gaining  of  a 
victory ;  but  the  compiler  does  not  seem  to  have  had 
in  mind  the  possibilities  of  a  defeat.  During  our 
Civil  War,  when  there  was  need  of  special  prayers 
for  the  Nation  and  for  the  army  and  navy  serving  in 
its  defence,  the  phrases  of  these  forms  of  prayer 
were  largely  used,  and  for  this  reason  they  are  fixed 
in  the  minds  of  the  older  people  in  our  congrega- 
tions. At  the  last  revision  of  our  Book,  the  order  of 
the  Psalms  and  Prayers  was  much  improved. 

It   may   be   noted  as   a  liturgical   curiosity,    that 


OTHER  OFFICES  273 

when  copies  of  the  Prayer  Book  were  printed  in 
England  for  use  in  the  Confederate  States  of 
America,  they  were  to  be  printed  from  plates  pre- 
pared for  the  Prayer  Book  of  the  Church  in  the  United 
States  of  America,  with  the  omission  of  the  Ratifica- 
tion and  the  substitution  of  'Confederate'  for  'United' 
before  the  words  'States  of  America'.  This  substi- 
tution was  made  on  the  title-page  and  in  the  Prayer 
for  the  President  and  that  for  Congress;  but  either 
the  editors  or  the  printers  forgot  to  make  the  change 
in  the  prayer  for  use  on  ships  of  war,  so  that  this  re- 
tained a  petition  that  the  men  in  service  there  might 
be  a  "safeguard  unto  the  United  States  of  America"  ! 

The  Visitation  of  Prisoners 
This  office  is  not  in  the  English  Prayer  Book,  but 
was  taken  into  ours  from  the  Irish  Book.  It  was 
agreed  upon  in  the  Synod  of  Ireland  in  171 1,  and 
ordered  by  the  Council  in  1714  to  be  printed  and 
annexed  to  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer.  It  is 
framed  on  the  model  of  the  Visitation  of  the  Sick, 
and  calls  for  no  special  notes,  except  that  the  rubrics 
are  wisely  suggestive  as  to  the  duties  of  a  priest  in 
dealing  with  the  conscience  of  a  man  who  has  been 
guilty  of  grievous  sin.  The  Collect,  Epistle,  and 
Gospel  are  to  be  used  in  the  case  of  ministration  to 
a  man  under  sentence  of  death. 

Thanksgiving-day 
A  note  on  the  history  of  Thanksgiving-day,  now 
by  custom  appointed  annually  on  the  last  Thursday 
19 


274  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

of  November,  will  be  found  on  page  60  of  this 
volume.  The  service  is  taken  from  the  Proposed 
Book  of  1786,  and  is  the  only  matter  for  which  we 
are  indebted  to  that  Book,  except  the  plan  of  the 
Table  of  Proper  Lessons.  The  last  three  of  the 
opening  sentences  are  from  the  Fourth  of  July  ser- 
vice in  the  Proposed  Book;  and  the  lessons  were 
originally  the  Fourth  of  July  Lessons.  The  anthem, 
or  rather  'cento',  in  place  of  Venite  is  from  Psalm 
cxlvii;  it  was  formerly  from  the  Bible  Version,  but 
was  made  to  conform  to  the  Prayer  Book  Version  at 
the  last  revision,  at  which  time  also  the  special 
Thanksgiving  was  enlarged  to  include  other  na- 
tional blessings  than  those  pertaining  to  the  fruits  of 
the  earth.  The  minister  may  take  one  of  the  Selec- 
tion of  Psalms,  'or  some  other  Portion'  at  his  dis- 
cretion ;  if  the  latter  clause  implies  any  restriction, 
it  may  be  taken  to  mean  the  part  of  the  Psalter 
appointed  for  Morning  or  Evening  Prayer  on  any 
day  of  the  month.  Permission  is  given  here  to  sing 
the  Selection  or  portion  of  the  Psalms,  as  it  was 
(curiously  enough)  in  the  Proposed  Book. 

Family  Prayers 

The  Family  Prayers,  wisely  placed  in  our  Prayer 
Book  of  1790,  were  composed  by  Edmund  Gibson, 
Bishop  of  London  (1720- 1748),  and  had  been  much 
used  in  the  Colonies,  over  which  indeed  he  held 
ecclesiastical  jurisdiction  by  royal  patent.  They  are 
said  to  have  been  based  on  prayers  which  Arch- 
bishop Tillotson  drew  up  for  the  private  use  of  King 
William  IIL 


XVI. 
THE  PSALTER 

ENOUGH  has  been  said  already,  for  the  pur- 
poses of  this  book,  as  to  the  history  of  the  use 
of  the  Psalms  in  the  Christian  Church  and  their 
place  in  our  Morning  and  Evening  Prayer.  Their 
division  into  sixty  portions  for  daily  use  and  full 
reading  once  each  month  is  the  same  in  our  Book  as 
it  has  been  in  England  since  1549,  except  that  at 
our  last  revision  Psalm  cxli,  an  evening  Psalm,  was 
transferred  from  Morning  to  Evening  Prayer  on  the 
twenty-ninth  day  of  the  month. 

The  Psalter  remains  in  our  Prayer  Book  in  the 
version  from  which  not  only  the  Psalms  but  also  the 
Epistle  and  Gospels  were  read  from  1549  to  1662  — 
that,  namely,  of  Coverdale,  printed  in  153S,  edited 
and  republished  in  the  'Great  Bible',  of  which  the 
first  edition  was  printed  in  1539,  other  editions  follow- 
ing rapidly,  and  showing  traces  of  Cranmer's  work. 
Our  Psalter  is  thus  "in  substance  the  work  of  that 
consummate  master  of  rhythmical  prose.  Bishop 
Miles  Coverdale. "  When  the  Lessons  began  to  be 
read  from  the  Authorized  Version  of  161 1  cannot 
now  be  determined;  it  was  'appointed  to  be  read  in 
churches',  but  it  is  not  known  on  what  authority. 

The  'Great  Bible'  followed  pretty  closely  Cover- 
dale's   version,    which    had    been   printed    but    four 


276  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 

years  before  it,  with  reference,  however,  to  the 
original  Hebrew  and  Greek;  but  it  was  also  in- 
fluenced by  Miinster's  new  Latin  Version  of  the  Old 
Testament.  That  it  does  not  closely  follow  the 
Vulgate  will  be  seen  from  comparing  the  opening 
words  of  some  of  the  Psalms  in  this  version  with 
their  opening  words  in  Latin  as  they  are  given  in 
the  headings.  (See  for  instance,  Psalms  cix,  Ixv, 
Ixxxiii,  cxix  part  7.)  The  Psalter  in  the  English 
Books  does  not  follow  exactly  any  edition  of  the  Great 
Bible,  and  the  printers  have  in  the  course  of  time 
made  changes  in  it.  In  our  first  Prayer  Book  of 
1790  a  few  modifications  were  intentionally  made, 
as  of  'leasing'  to  'falsehood'  in  iv.  2  and  to  'lies'  in 
v.  6,  and  of  'flittings'  to  'wanderings'  in  Ivi.  8. 
In  the  preparation  of  the  present  Standard  of  1892, 
the  text  of  the  Psalter  was  carefully  studied  and  cor- 
rected where  errors  had  crept  in,  so  that  it  is  now 
far  more  accurate  than  that  in  the  English  Book 
and  almost  ideally  perfect.  The  report  on  the 
Standard  in  an  appendix  to  the  Journal  of  the  Gen- 
eral Convention  of  1892  gives  many  notes  of  impor- 
tant and  unimportant  corrections.  At  this  time  the 
so-called  musical  colon  in  each  verse  (corresponding 
to  the  Hebrew  atfmacJi),  which  had  been  omitted 
in  earlier  American  Books  from  Psalms  and  Canti- 
cles, was  restored. 


THE  PSALTER  277 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Reference  may  be  made  to  a  few  books  which  will  help  to  a 
fuller  knowledge  and  enjoyment  of  the  Psalter. 

The  translation  of  the  Psalms  in  the  American  Revised  Ver. 
sion  gives  accurately  the  meaning  of  the  received  Hebrew  text. 

Dr.  S.  R.  Driver's  "  Parallel  Psalter"  is  the  Prayer  Book  Ver- 
sion of  the  Psalms  and  a  new  version  by  a  good  scholar  in 
both  Hebrew  and  English,  arranged  on  opposite  pages.  It  is 
very  interesting  and  helpful,  and  it  has  two  admirable  glossa- 
ries :  one  of  characteristic  or  otherwise  noteworthy  expressions 
in  the  Psalms,  and  the  other  of  archaisms  in  the  Prayer  Book 
Version. 

In  this  connection,  it  will  be  well  to  call  attention,  as  does 
Dr.  Driver,  to  W.  Aldis  Wright's  invaluable  "  Bible  Word- 
Book"  and  also  to  the  articles  on  words  so  plentifully  given  in 
Hastings's  "  Dictionary  of  the  Bible."  The  Concordance  to  the 
Prayer  Book  Psalter  in  the  S.  P.  C.  K.  Prayer-Book  Commen- 
tary has  been  already  noted. 

The  finest  literary  version  of  the  Psalms  into  English  is  that 
by  Dr.  Horace  Howard  Furness  in  the  so-called  'Polychrome 
Bible'. 

There  are  brief  notes  on  each  Psalm  in  Bishop  Barry's 
"  Teacher's  Prayer  Book."  Kirkpatrick's  Commentary  on  the 
Psalms  (in  English)  in  The  Cambridge  Bible  for  Schools  is 
excellent  and  readily  available ;  the  Introduction  is  helpful, 
though  brief. 

One  who  would  like  to  know  a  little  of  the  English  of  earlier 
versions  will  find  in  a  small  volume  published  by  the  Clarendon 
Press  at  Oxford  the  Books  of  Job,  Psalms,  Proverbs,  Ecclesi- 
astes,  and  the  Song  of  Solomon,  from  a  Wycliffite  version  of 
about  the  year  13S1. 

G.  P.  Huntington  and  H.  A.  Metcalf's  "The  Treasury  of  the 
Psalter"  is  a  valuable  aid  to  the  better  understanding  of  the 
Psalms  and  a  work  of  much  learning  and  careful  labor. 

Archbishop  William  Alexander's  "  Witness  of  the  Psalms  to 
Christ  and  Christianity  "  is  pleasantly  written  and  interesting. 


XVII. 
THE  ORDINAL 

THE  services  which  follow  the  Psalter  are  not, 
strictly  speaking,  a  part  of  the  Book  of  Com- 
mon Prayer;  but  their  titles  are  placed  with  the 
Table  of  Contents  of  the  Prayer  Book,  and  the  con- 
ditions of  making  changes  in  them  are  the  same  as 
those  of  altering  or  amending  the  Prayer  Book. 
They  correspond,  in  fact,  to  the  Pontifical,  contain- 
ing the  forms  for  conferring  Holy  Orders,  for  Conse- 
crating a  Church,  and  for  the  Institution  of  a  Rector; 
and  the  due  administration  of  Orders  is  certainly 
necessary  for  the  continuance  of  the  Church. 

Many  of  the  questions,  both  interesting  and 
important,  which  arise  in  the  study  of  the  Or- 
dination Services  of  the  Church  of  England  and 
our  own  are  fully  discussed  in  works  on  the  Ministry 
and  on  Church  Polity.  Such  are:  the  interpretation 
which  the  Church  in  different  ages  has  given  to  the 
terms  by  which  she  had  designated  her  ministers; 
the  stress  which  she  has  laid  on  a  succession  of  her 
clergy  from  the  Apostles  and  on  the  maintenance  of 
that  succession  at  the  hands  of  Bishops;  the  proof  of 
the  assertion  in  Article  XXXVI,  that  her  present 
"Book  of  Consecration  of  Bishops  and  Ordering  of 
Priests  and  Deacons"  "doth  contain  all  things  neces- 
sary  to   such   Consecration    and    Ordering,    neither 


THE  ORDINAL  279 


hath  it  anything  that  of  itself  is  superstitious  and 
ungodly";  and  in  particular  the  maintenance  of  the 
historic  validity  of  her  Orders  against  the  latest 
form  of  the  attack  made  upon  them  from  Rome.  To 
such  books,  therefore,  the  student  is  referred  for  a 
full  study  of  the  Ordinal ;  it  must  suffice  here  to  give 
a  brief  historical  and  liturgical  commentary  on  the 
services. 

As  in  ancient  times,  all  ordinations  are  minis- 
tered within  the  Eucharistic  Office,  and  at  such  place 
in  the  office  that  the  newly  ordained  may  enter  at 
once  on  the  duties  to  which  he  has  been  called  and 
for  which  authority  has  been  given  him.  Thus,  the 
candidates  for  the  diaconate  are  examined  and  or- 
dained after  the  Epistle,  and  after  ordination  one  of 
them  reads  the  Gospel;  in  like  manner,  the  candi- 
dates for  the  priesthood  are  examined  and  ordained 
after  the  Gospel,  and  after  ordination  they  say  the 
Nicene  Creed  with  the  congregation;  the  bishop- 
elect  is  questioned  and  ordained  after  the  Creed  and 
Sermon,  and  then  takes  his  place  with  his  consecra- 
tors  for  the  offering  and  intercession  which  lead  to 
the  more  solemn  part  of  the  Communion  Office. 
And,  again  in  accordance  with  ancient  custom,  the 
Litany  is  said  at  every  ordination,  with  a  special 
petition  for  those  who  are  at  the  time  to  be  admitted 
to  any  of  the  sacred  Orders.  Those  to  be  ordained 
are  presented  to  the  Bishop  by  some  one  already  in 
Orders,  who  vouches  for  their  learning  and  their 
character  (in  the  case  of  a  bishop-elect  by  two  of  the 


280  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

Episcopal  order);  in  the  case  of  candidates  for  the 
diaconate  and  the  priesthood,  the  people  are  called 
upon  to  show  cause,  if  cause  there  be,  why  they 
should  not  be  ordained;  in  the  case  of  a  bishop-elect, 
testimonials  are  demanded  and  read  and  a  promise 
of  conformity,  with  the  solemnity  of  an  oath,  is 
required.  An  'impediment'  to  ordination,  as  distin- 
guished from  a  'crime',  is  the  failure  to  fulfil  some 
canonical  requirement,  as  that  the  candidate  has  not 
attained  the  requisite  age,  or  has  not  satisfied  his 
examinations,  or  has  failed  to  produce  the  necessary 
testimonials. 

The  English  Ordinal  was  framed  in  1550  —  it  was 
still  1549  in  Old  Style  —  less  than  a  year  after  the 
first  Prayer  Book  was  published;  our  own  was  set 
forth  in  1792,  and  the  first  service  for  which  it  was 
used  was  the  consecration  of  Bishop  Claggett  of 
Maryland  (see  page  23). 

The  changes  made  in  the  Ordination  services  from 
1550  to  the  present  day,  with  their  Preface,  have 
been  very  few.  Until  1662,  the  *Veni,  Creator 
Spiritus'  in  the  Ordering  of  Priests  was  sung  after 
the  Gospel;  in  that  year  it  was  removed  to  the 
place  which  it  now  has,  corresponding  to  its  position 
in  the  Consecration  of  Bishops.  And  from  1550  to 
1662,  at  the  laying-on  of  hands  upon  a  candidate  for 
the  priesthood  or  upon  a  bishop-elect,  there  was  no 
mention  of  the  Order  conferred ;  the  form  in  the  one 
case  was  'Receive  the  Holy  Ghost;  whose  sins 
thou  dost  forgive',  etc.,  and  in  the  other,  'Take  the 


THE  ORDINAL  281 


Holy  Ghost;  and  remember  that  thou  stir  up',  etc. 
In  our  Book  the  only  change  of  any  importance  from 
the  English  was  the  provision  of  an  alternative  form 
at  the  laying-on  of  hands  for  the  priesthood,  of  the 
same  tenor  as  that  provided  for  the  diaconate. 
Nothing  has  been  or  is  put  into  the  hands  of  the 
newly  ordained,  by  the  rubrics  of  these  services, 
except  the  New  Testament  in  the  case  of  deacons 
and  the  Bible  in  the  case  of  priests  and  bishops; 
save  that  from  1550  to  1552  the  priest  received  the 
chalice  or  cup  with  the  bread,  and  the  bishop  the 
pastoral  staff  as  well  as  the  Bible. 

A  comparison  of  the  services  with  those  which 
had  been  used  in  early  times  and  in  the  mediaeval 
Church  shows  that  there  was  little  or  nothing  new  in 
the  Ordinal  of  1550,  but  that  it  was  marked  by  a 
simplicity  and  directness  which  were  in  decided  con- 
trast to  the  offices  as  they  had  come  to  be  used  before 
that  time.  It  is  evident  that  Archbishop  Cranmer 
and  those  who  were  associated  with  him,  while  they 
affirmed  solemnly  that  it  was  their  intention  that 
the  historic  Orders  should  be  'continued  and 
reverently  used  and  esteemed'  in  the  Church  of 
England,  wished  to  render  the  services  more  simple, 
to  make  their  essential  act,  prayer  with  the  laying-on 
of  hands,  in  accordance  with  the  New  Testament 
(Acts  vi.  6,  xiii.  3,  xiv.  23),  and  to  free  them  from 
accretions  which  had  disturbed  the  balance  of  the 
truths  expressed  in  them,  and  again  —  perhaps  more 
than  anything  else  —  to  vindicate  for  the  ministry  of 


282  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

the  Word  its  rightful  place  in  the  work  of  the  priest- 
hood and  the  episcopate. 

The  old  Roman  service  was  very  simple,  with 
little  more  than  the  Scriptural  requirements,  the 
priests  from  an  early  day  laying-on  hands  with  the 
Bishop  upon  those  who  were  advanced  to  the  priest- 
hood (see  I  Timothy  iv.  i),  while  the  Bishop 
uttered  words  of  prayer.  From  the  Galilean  use 
there  came  the  ceremony  of  anointing  the  hands; 
and  also,  introduced  by  analogy  from  the  service  for 
the  admission  of  sub-deacons  (their  office  not  being  a 
'holy  order'),  the  presentation  of  the  vessels  of  min- 
istry, porrectio  instrumentorum,  which  Pope  Eu- 
genius  IV  in  1439  was  so  far  left  to  himself  as  to 
declare  the  outward  and  visible  sign  in  the  'sacra- 
ment' of  Orders;  and  with  the  chalice  and  wafer  put 
into  the  hands  of  the  priest  words  were  said  as  to  a 
power  conferred  of  offering  sacrifice  to  God  and  cele- 
brating masses  on  behalf  of  the  quick  and  the  dead. 
Still  later,  probably  from  a  fear  that  the  primitive 
laying-on  of  hands  might  be  neglected,  or  from  the 
knowledge  that  it  was  actually  omitted,  there  was 
inserted  at  the  very  end  of  the  service  a  provision 
that  the  Bishop  should  lay  his  hands  on  the  priests, 
who  had  already  had  a  sort  of  ordination  in  three 
ways  —  by  prayer  (originally  with  the  laying-on  of 
the  hands  of  bishop  and  priests),  by  unction,  and  by 
the  delivery  of  the  vessels  —  and  say  'Receive  the 
Holy  Ghost',  with  the  Lord's  words  as  to  remitting 
and  retaining  sins. 


THE  ORDINAL  283 


The  present  Roman  Pontifical,  at  least  as  used  in 
this  country,  is  in  the  same  confused  condition  in 
regard  to  the  ordination  of  priests.  Almost  at  the 
beginning  of  the  service,  after  exhortations  and  a 
brief  indirect  prayer,  the  Bishop  "without  saying  any 
prayer  whatsoever",  lays  both  hands  upon  the  head  of 
each  one.  After  this  all  the  priests  who  are  present 
do  the  same.  Next,  the  Bishop  and  all  the  priests 
raise  their  right  hands,  and  hold  them  extended  over 
the  candidates  while  the  Bishop  says  another  indirect 
pra3'er  which  does  not  imply  that  any  gift  or  office 
is  conferred.  The  unction  of  the  hands  and  the  pre- 
sentation of  a  chalice  with  wine  and  water  and  a 
paten  with  a  wafer,  with  the  words  "Receive  power 
to  offer  sacrifice  to  God  and  to  celebrate  mass,  as  well 
for  the  living  as  for  the  dead",  both  take  place  before 
the  Gospel;  and  after  this  those  who  have  been  called 
'candidates'  are  now  called  'priests',  'priests  who 
have  been  ordained'.  They  all  say  the  service  with 
the  Bishop,  after  the  presentation  of  offerings,  in- 
cluding the  Words  of  Consecration.  After  the 
Communion  and  the  ablutions,  the  'newly  ordained 
priests'  rehearse  the  Apostles'  Creed;  and  then  as 
they  kneel  before  the  Bishop  he  places  both  hands  on 
the  head  of  each  saying,  "Receive  the  Holy  Ghost; 
whose  sins  thou  shalt  forgive,  they  are  forgiven 
them;  and  whose  sins  thou  shalt  retain,  they  are  re- 
tained." This  last  ceremony  cannot  possibly  be  an 
ordination ;  for  those  on  whom  hands  were  laid  have 
already  celebrated  mass  with  the  Bishop.     Evidently 


284  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

the  tradiiio  inst7'7imentorum  is  the  central  point  of 
the  service,  even  to-day.  From  the  confusion  of  the 
service  and  the  great  uncertainty  as  to  what  really 
was  the  act  of  ordination,  Cranmer  and  the  other 
revisers  freed  the  English  Ordinal. 

There  is  no  question  as  to  the  precise  act  in  it  by 
which  the  deacons  are  ordained  priests;  and  while 
until  1662  there  was  no  mention  of  the  order  con- 
ferred at  the  time  of  laying-on  of  hands,  neither  was 
there  such  mention  in  the  Roman  use.  If  it  be  said 
that  in  the  latter  the  Bishop  did  confer  power  to  offer 
sacrifice  and  celebrate  mass,  so  also  in  the  English 
Oflfice  did  the  Bishop  in  giving  the  Bible  give  "au- 
thority to  preach  the  Word  of  God  and  to  minister 
the  holy  Sacraments" — a  grant  which  includes  all 
that  is  in  the  other  and  much  besides.  The 
mediaeval  use  of  'Receive  the  Holy  Ghost'  was 
retained,  as  seemly  and  instructive;  but  that  these 
words  are  not  necessary  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  for 
centuries  they  were  nowhere  used ;  and  the  Ameri- 
can Church  was  faithful  to  primitive  custom  and 
quite  within  her  rights  when  she  gave  permission  to 
substitute  another  form  of  words  for  them,  whatever 
one  may  think  as  to  the  desirability  of  employing  it. 

Thus  it  may  be  seen  from  the  purely  liturgical 
standpoint  that  it  would  be  more  reasonable  to  con- 
tend that,  in  following  the  teaching  of  Eugenius  IV, 
the  Church  of  Rome  has  lost  the  succession  of  the 
priesthood,  than  that  in  the  years  from  1550  to  1662 
the  Church  of  England  failed  to  continue  it. 


THE  ORDINAL  285 


The  reason  for  the  insertion  of  the  words  in  1662, 
"for  the  office  and  work  of  a  Priest  [or  of  a  Bishop] 
in  the  Church  of  God",  was  certainly  not  that  the 
revisers  at  that  time  felt  that  there  was  any  doubt  as 
to  the  validity  of  the  orders  conferred  since  the  first 
adoption  of  the  Ordinal.  It  is  much  more  probable 
that  they  thought  it  necessary,  in  the  face  of  the 
Presbyterianism  which  was  prevalent  and  indeed  had 
had  supremacy  for  a  while,  to  affirm  the  distinction 
in  order  between  a  priest  (or  presbyter)  and  a 
bishop.  On  that  distinction,  indeed,  we  need  to  lay 
stress,  and  that  not  only  against  the  advocates  of 
parity,  who  would  exalt  all  presbyters  to  the  episco- 
pate, but  also  against  the  papal  claim  that  bishops 
are  of  the  same  order  as  priests,  only  endowed  with 
certain  special  authority  or  'faculties'. 

The  carefulness  of  Bishops  Seabury  and  White  as 
they  prepared  the  Ordinal  for  our  Church  is  seen  in 
the  change  of  a  sentence  in  the  form  of  words  in 
which,  at  the  consecration  of  a  bishop,  the  congrega- 
tion is  bidden  to  the  Litany.  In  the  English  Book 
it  reads,  "It  is  written  also  in  the  Acts  of  the 
Apostles  that  the  disciples  who  were  at  Antioch  did 
fast  and  pray,  before  they  laid  hands  on  Paul  and 
Barnabas  and  sent  them  forth."  Now,  in  the  light 
of  what  St.  Paul  says  at  the  beginning  of  the  Epistle 
to  the  Galatians,  it  is  very  doubtful  whether  the 
transaction  described  in  the  thirteenth  chapter  of  the 
Acts  can  be  called  an  ordination  or  designation  of 
Sts.  Paul  and  Barnabas  to  the  apostolate.     For  this 


286  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

example,  therefore,  another  was  substituted  in  our 
Book:  "It  is  written  also  that  the  Holy  Apostles 
prayed  before  they  ordained  Matthias  to  be  of  the 
number  of  the  Twelve";  though  even  here  there 
might  be  some  question  as  to  the  word  'ordain'. 

The  'Veni,  Creator  Spiritus'  is  the  only  one  of 
many  metrical  hymns  of  the  early  and  mediaeval 
Church  which  was  brought  over  into  the  offices  of 
the  English  Church.*  It  consists  in  the  original  of 
six  four-line  stanzas  (without  the  doxology)  of  what 
w^e  call  long  metre;  and  its  composition  has  been 
ascribed  to  St.  Ambrose  of  Milan  (died  397),  to 
Pope  Gregory  the  Great  (604),  to  the  Emperor 
Charles  the  Great  (Charlemagne,  814),  and  to 
Rhabanus  Maurus,  Archbishop  of  Mainz  (856). 
Julian  in  his  'Dictionary  of  Hymnology'  says  that 
"the  hymn  is  clearly  not  the  work  of  St.  Ambrose 
nor  of  Charles  the  Great,  nor  is  there  sufficient  evi- 
dence to  allow  us  to  ascribe  it  to  Gregory  or  to 
Rhabanus  Maurus"  ;  so  that  this,  "which  has  taken 
deeper  hold  of  the  Western  Church  than  any  other 
mediaeval  hymn,  the  'Te  Deum'  alone  excepted", 
must  remain  anonymous.  The  first  form  of  the  com- 
mon metre  version  or  paraphrase  in  sixteen  stanzas, 
including  the  doxology,  was  prepared  by  Cranmer 
(as  it  is  thought)  for  the  Ordinal  of  1550;  it  has 
some  good  phrases,  but  is  diffuse  and  in  places  un- 


nt  should  not  be  confounded  with  the  'Veni,  Sancte  Spir- 
itus'.    (See  Dictionary  of  Hymnology.) 


THE  ORDINAL  287 


rhythmical  and  lacks  the  tone  of  the  original.  It 
was  modified  into  its  present  form  for  the  revision  of 
1662,  at  which  time  also  the  brief  version  in  long 
metre,  even  more  condensed  than  the  Latin  itself, 
was  inserted  as  an  alternative.  This  latter  was  the 
work  of  John  Cosin,  Bishop  of  Durham,  who 
took  a  prominent  part  in  preparing  the  new  edition 
of  the  Prayer  Book  and  from  whose  pen  came  the 
Collects  written  for  that  Book.  Strangely  enough, 
neither  version  retains  the  word  'Creator',  which  is 
so  striking  a  title  of  the  Holy  Spirit;  it  is  found  in 
Hymns  380  and  381  of  our  Hymnal. 

The  Litany  and  the  Communion  Office  are 
reprinted  here,  that  the  Ordinal  may  be  complete; 
in  these  the  word  'Bishop'  is  used  throughout  for 
'Priest'  or  'Minister'.  What  is  meant  by  the  addi- 
tion 'and  Suffrages'  to  the  title  of  the  Litany, 
does  not  appear.  In  the  preceding  services  the 
special  petition  for  those  to  be  ordained  is  called  a 
'Suffrage',  but  it  would  certainly  seem  that  it  must 
be  regarded  as  part  of  the  Litany. 

Consecration  of  a  Church;  Institution 
OF  Ministers 

The  two  offices  which  follow  are  not  in  the  Eng- 
lish Prayer  Book.  The  Form  of  Consecration  of  a 
Church  or  Chapel  was  taken  in  1799  from  one 
framed  by  the  English  Convocation  in  1712  (which, 
however,  lacked  full  authorization);  and  this  in  turn 
was   based   on   an   office  prepared  by   Dr.    Lancelot 


288  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 

Andrewes,  Bishop  of  Winchester,  for  the  consecra- 
tion of  a  Chapel  near  Southampton  in  the  year  1620. 
The  form  of  1712  has  now  been  for  a  long  time  cus- 
tomarily used  in  Enlgand.  The  place  of  the  'instru- 
ments of  Donation  and  Endowment'  is  commonly 
taken  by  a  formal  request  to  the  Bishop,  from  the 
corporation  or  authorities  of  the  parish,  that  he  will 
consecrate  the  building  and  take  it  under  his 
spiritual  jurisdiction  and  that  of  his  successors  in 
office,  including  also  a  certificate,  in  the  words  of 
Canon  46,  "that  the  building  and  the  ground  on 
which  it  is  erected  have  been  fully  paid  for,  and  are 
free  from  lien  or  other  incumbrance,  and  also  that 
such  building  and  ground  are  secured  from  the 
danger  of  alienation,  either  in  whole  or  in  part, 
from  those  who  profess  and  practise  the  doctrine, 
discipline,  and  worship  of  this  Church",  except 
under  conditions  allowed  by  the  Canon.  The  read- 
ing of  the  Sentence  of  Consecration  is  the  formal 
consecration  of  the  building,  and  after  it  the  regular 
service  for  the  day  begins. 

The  Office  of  Institution,  which  from  its  terms  can 
only  be  used  for  a  rector,  was  drawn  up  in  1799  ^^ 
the  request  of  the  Convention  of  the  Diocese  of  Con- 
necticut by  the  Rev.  Dr.  William  Smith  of  Nor- 
walk.'     It   was   formally   accepted   by  the  Diocesan 


'This  Dr.  William  Smith,  a  native  of  Scotlaud,  once  minis- 
ter of  Stepney  Parish,  Maryland,  and  later  principal  of  the 
Episcopal  Academy  at  Cheshire,  who  died  in  1821,  must  not  be 
confounded  with  Dr.  William  Smith,  Provost  of  the  University 


THE  ORDINAL  l?f) 


Convention  of  Connecticut  in  1804,  but  two  years 
before  that  time  had  been  adopted  by  the  Conven- 
tion of  the  Diocese  of  New  York.  In  1804  it  was 
also  adopted  by  the  General  Convention,  which  four 
years  later  changed  its  title  to  the  present  form, 
made  its  use  discretionary,  and  altered  the  phrase- 
ology that  it  might  not  seem  to  be  in  conflict  with  the 
law  of  the  land.  It  provides  three  well-worded  pray- 
ers, to  the  three  Persons  of  the  Trinity,  before  the 
Benediction  from  Hebrews  xiii.  20,  21,  and  an  ex- 
cellent 'cento'  of  petitions  in  the  prayer  at  the  end. 
It  has  also  some  peculiarities.  The  Holy  Commu- 
nion is  here  called  'the  Holy  Eucharist',  a  name  not 
applied  to  it  in  the  Prayer  Book,  though  (as  we  have 
seen)  very  ancient.  The  word  'Altar'  is  also  used 
many  times;  but  a  careful  reading  will  show  that  it 
probably  does  not  mean  the  Lord's  Table,  but  the 
space  enclosed  by  chancel-rails,  as  is  the  Methodist 
use  of  the  word  to-day.  Also  the  term  'Senior  War- 
den' is  used,  though  Senior  and  Junior  Wardens  are 
unknown  to  canonical  legislation  both  in  this  country 
and  in  England;  the  titles  seem  to  have  been  bor- 
rowed from  the  Masonic  order.  This  office  of  Insti- 
tution has  really  no  legal  value,  either  civil  or 
ecclesiastical ;  but   it   has  an  educational  and  moral 


of  Pennsylvania  and  President  of  the  House  of  Deputies  in 
General  Convention  when  the  Prayer  Book  was  revised,  who 
died  in  1803.  Dr.  William  Smith  of  Connecticut  was  a  strong 
advocate  of  chanting  at  a  time  when  chanting  was  little 
practised. 


290  THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 

value;    and   for  that   reason   might    well    be    often 
used. 

It  does  not  fall  within  the  scope  of  this  book  to 
treat  of  the  Articles  of  Religion. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY  FOR  THE  ORDINAL 

Pullan  (Leighton),  The  History  of  the  Book  of  Common 
Prayer  (in  Oxford  Library  of  Practical  Theology).  Chapter 
XVIII  on  the  Ordinal  is  valuable. 

Dictionary  of  Christian  Antiquities.  The  article  on  Ordina- 
tion, by  Dr.  Edwin  Hatch,  is  very  full  and  learned. 

See  also  other  dictionaries  and  encyclopaedias. 

The  Rite  of  Ordination  [of  Deacons  and  Priests]  according 
to  the  Roman  Pontifical,  in  Latin  and  English  on  opposite 
pages,  edited  by  J.  S.  M.  Lynch,  is  published  by  the  Cathedral 
Library  Association,  New  York. 

On  the  recent  Roman  Controversy,  there  is  nothing  better 
than  the  former  part  of  Chapter  VII  and  Appendix  in  Mober- 
ly's  "  Ministerial  Priesthood." 

The  numerous  works  on  the  validity  of  Anglican  Orders  need 
not  be  mentioned  here. 


SOLI  DEO  GLORIA 


INDEX 


Absolution,  forms  of,  75,  189  ; 
in  Visitation  of  Sick,  257  ff. 

Administration  of  Holy  Com- 
munion, forms  for,  12,  155, 
161  ff. 

Advent,  125;  Advent-Sun- 
day, 57.  _ 

Agnus  Dei,  106,  194,  198. 

Alexandria,  Catechetical 
School  at,  227  ;  Pope  of, 
his  Festal  Letters,  53. 

Alexandrian  (Eutychian) 
Liturgies,  146. 

'Allege'=  plead,  246,  249. 

Alleluia,  77,  154. 

'Allow'=  approve,  218,  249. 

All  Saints'  Day,  132. 

Alms,  183  ff . ;  alms  and  obla- 
tions, 186  ff. 

Altar,  168;  in  Institution 
Office,  289. 

Ambrose,  St.  (t397),  80,  286. 

Ambrosian  Liturgy,  146. 

Amen,  74  ff.,  107,  194. 

American  Prayer  Book,  17 
ff. ;  changes  from  English, 
21  £f.,  70  ff,.  etc. ;  adopted 
(1789),  22  ff . ;  changes  in, 
24  ff. :  revision  of  (1880- 
1892),  25  ff. ;  standard  of 
1892,  26. 

Anabaptism,  223. 

Anaphora,  190. 

Andrewes,  Bp.  of  Winchester 
(ti626),23,  287  ff. 

Angel,  the  Holy,  158. 

Angelic  Hymn,  197. 

Anglican  Orders,  278  ff. 

Anointing ;  see  Unction. 

Ante-Communion,  167. 

Anthem,  47,  77,  92,  187. 


Anthems ;    see  Hymns    and 

Anthems. 
Antiphon,   107    and    «.,   254 

ff.,  262,  265  ff. 
Antiphonal,  3. 
'Apparent'^  evident,  114  n. 
Army  and  Navy,  prayers  for, 

272. 
Articles  of   Religion,  3,  24, 

290. 
Athanasian     Creed,    95    ff. ; 

declaration  de.,  98,  99. 
Ash-Wednesday,  58, 116, 126. 
Augustine,    St.,    of    Canter- 
bury (t6o4),  6,  loi. 
Augustine,    St.,    of    Hippo 

(t43o),8o,  227. 


Baptism,  Ministration  of, 
(Chap.  IX)  209  ff. ;  an- 
cient services,  210 ;  private, 
219;  adult,  222;  adult  by 
immersion,  223  ;  hypothet- 
ical, 221,  225 ;  deacon  as 
ministrant,  225  ;  times  for, 
128,  130. 

Bede,  Venerable  (1735),  128. 

Benedicite,  83. 

Benedictine  Rule,  65. 

Benson,  Abp.  (11896),  229. 

Betrothal,  245 ;  see  Matri- 
mony. 

Bible,  Great,  4,  183,  275 ; 
Authorized  Version,  121  «., 
275  ;  see  Lessons,  Epistles 
and  Gospels. 

Bible,  in  Ordination,  281. 

BibHography,  General,  29-34 ; 
the  Daily  Offices,  94  ff. ; 
the  Christian  Year,  137  ff. ; 
the    Communion    Service 


292 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PR  A  YER 


205-208  ;  Baptism,  226  ;  the 
Catechism,  235  ;  Confirma- 
tion, 243  ;  Matrimony,  253  ; 
Visitation  of  the  Sick,  260  ; 
the  Psalter,  277  ff. ;  the 
Ordinal,  290. 

'Bidding  the  bedes',  90. 

Bishops,  House  of,  advice  as 
to  services,  74,  172  ff.,  201. 

'Bishoping',  272. 

Black-letter  days,  50. 

Black  Rubric,  16. 

Body  of  the  Church,  168,  247. 

Book  of  Offices,  proposed, 
26,  27. 

Bowing  in  the  Creed,  89. 

Bread  for  the  Communion, 
184  ff. 

Breviary,  2;  see  Chap.  Ill; 
revision  of,  67  ff. 

Breviary  use,  41  n. 

Briefs,  181. 

Burial  of  the  Dead,  (Chap. 
XIV)  261  ff. ;  service  in 
house,  265  ff.  «.,  office  for 
infants,  269  ff. 

Byzantine  Liturgies,  145. 


Calendar,  48  ff. 

Candlemas,  126. 

Canon,  in  office  of  Holy 
Communion,  190. 

Canonical  hours,  64. 

Catechism,  13,  (Chap.  X) 
227  ff. ;  proposed  addition 
to,  232  ff. ;  Shorter,  of 
Westminster,  229. 

Catechumens,  211  ff.,  215, 
227  ;  admission  of,  211  ff. 

Chancel,  168. 

Charles  the  Great  (Charle- 
magne) (t8i4),  286. 

Charles  I,  King  (11649),  13; 
Prayer  Book  for  Scotland, 

13- 
Charles    II,    King    (ti685), 
13  ;  Prayer  Book  of,  13. 


Child,  age  of,  216. 

Childermas,  126. 

Chrism,  use  of,  in  Baptism, 
211,  213;  in  Confirmation, 
238  ff. ;  see  Unction. 

Chrisom,  213  ff.,  271  ;  chrisom 
child,  213  n. 

Christmas,  124  ff . ;  Sundays 
after,  135. 

Chrysostom,  St.  (1407), 
Prayer  of,  93,  108  ff. 

Church  (verd),  271  ff. 

Church,  Prayer  for,  167  ;  see 
Intercession,  the  Great. 

'Churches',  for  'dioceses',  88. 

Churching  of  Women,  (in 
Chap.  XV)  271  ff. 

Citations,  181. 

Claggett,  T.  J.,  Bp.  of  Mary- 
land (ti8i6), 23,  280. 

Clement  of  Alexandria 
(t2i7),  245. _ 

Clementine  Liturgy,  144. 

Coincidence    of    Holy-days, 

133  ff- 

Collect,  the  word,  117  ff. 

Collects,  in  daily  offices,  90, 
91  ;  for  eves,  136  ;  at  end  of 
Communion  service,  199 
ff. ;  sources  of,  119  ff. 

Collects,  Epistles,  and  Gos- 
pels, (Chap.  VI)  117  ff. ; 
proposed,  for  Marriage, 
253 ;  former,  for  Burial, 
263. 

Comes,  121  ff. 

'  Comfortable  ',  '  Comforter ', 
189,  240. 

Comfortable  Words,  189. 

Commandments,  the  Ten, 
161,  177  ff . ;  in  Catechism, 

234- 
Commination,  115. 
Committal,  at  Burial,  268  ff. 
Communion,   Holy,  139;  see 

Holy  Communion. 
Communion,    Order    of    the 

(1548),  8. 


INDEX 


293 


Communion  of  the  Sick, 

202  ff. 

Communion  service,  postures 
in,  173  ff. 

Compline,  65,  66. 

Concordate,  Bp.  Seabury's, 
164. 

Confederate  Prayer  Book, 
272  ff. 

Confirmation,  (Chap.  XI) 
236  ff. ;  names  in  New 
Testament,  236  ff. ;  mean- 
ing of  'confirm',  238,  240; 
'hands'  laid  on,  237  ff . ; 
Eastern  use,  241  ;  Roman 
use,  239,  241  ;  before  first 
Communion,  242  ;  rubrics 
at  end  of  office,  242  ff. 

Congress,  Prayer  for,  112. 

Consecration,  Prayer  of,  23, 
154  ff.,  191  ff . ;  see  Holy 
Communion  ;  second  Con- 
secration, 195  ff. 

Consecration  of  a  Church, 
23,  (in  Chap.  XVII)  287  ff. 

Continental  Reformers,  11. 

Convention,  Prayer  for,  113. 

Convention,  General,  1785, 
19;  1786,  20;  1789,  20,  21  ; 
1880-1892,  25  ff. 

Cosin,  Jonn,  Bp.  of  Durham 
(ti672),  113,287. 

Cotton,  Bp.  of  Calcutta 
(ti866),  113. 

Coverdale,  Miles,  Bp. 
(t 1 568),  4,  183,275. 

Coxe,  Bp.  of  W.  New  York 
(11896),  124,  167  «.,  2-jo  n. 

Cranmer,  Abp.  (ti556),  8, 
14,67,68,  102,  108,  155  ff., 
160,  212,  281,  286  ;  as  trans- 
lator, 10,  121, 157  ;  el  saepe. 

Creed,  Apostles'  and  Nicene, 
20,  85  ff. ;  rubric  before  for- 
mer, 87  ff . ;  Athanasian,  20, 
95  ff . ;  interrogative,  211, 
256  ;  in  Holy  Communion, 
180  ;  at  Burial,  266  ;  in  Bap- 


tism, 211,  217;  at  Ordina- 
tion, 279. 

Cross,  sign  of,  in  Baptism, 
213  ff . ;  in  Confirmation, 
239  ff. 

Credence,  187  ff. 

Crowns,  in  Marriage,  245. 

Curates,  in  cure  of  souls, 
227  ff. 

Cyprian,  St.  (I258),  152. 

Cyril,  Bp.  of  Jerusalem 
(t386),  144,  227. 


Daily  offices,  65,  68  ff. 

Deacon,  as  ministrant  of 
Baptism,  225 ;  of  Matri- 
mony, 252  ff. 

Deacon's  Litany,  101,  108. 

Departed,  Commemoration 
of,  14,  156,  188,  259. 

Deprecations,  in  Litany,  105. 

De  Profundis,  in  Prisons,  78  ; 
in  Visitation  of  Sick,  259. 

Directorium,  3. 

Dirige,  262. 

Divine  Liturgy,  141  ;  seeWd^y 
Communion. 

Divine  Office,  64,  93. 

Divine  Service,  77. 

Dominical  Letters ;  see  Sun- 
day Letters. 

Dowden,  John,  Bp.  of  Edin- 
burgh (ti9io),  186. 

Dower  and  dowry,  245. 

Drake,  Sir  Francis  (11596), 

17- 

E 

Easter-day,  rule  for  deter- 
termining,  53  ;  dates  of,  62  ; 
name,  128. 

Easter-even,  128 ;  for  bap- 
tisms, 211  ff. 

Eastern  Church,  'Greek 
Easter',  62,  63. 

East  Syrian  (Nestorian) 
Liturgies,  145. 


294 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 


Eastward  Position,  for 
Creeds,  89  ;  in  Communion 
Service,  170,  171. 

Edward  VI,  King  (ti553),  8, 
12  -,  Prayer  Books  of,  8  ff. 

Effeta  (Ephphatha),  211, 
213. 

Elizabeth,  Queen  (ti6o3), 
12,  104,  212,  221  ;  Prayer 
Book  of,  12  ;  Latin  Prayer 
Book  of,  201. 

Ember-days,  58. 

Ember  Prayers,  113. 

English  Prayer  Book,  5  ff., 
et  saepe  ;  editions  of,  9-14. 

Entrances,  Little  and  Great, 
152. 

Epiphany,  124. 

Epistles  and  Gospels,  122 
ff. ;  see  Collects  ;  announce- 
ment of,  179  ff. 

Eucharist,  139,  289  ;  see  Holy 
Communion. 

Eutychians,  146. 

Evening  Prayer,  (Chap.  Ill) 
64  ff. ;  rubrics  as  to  use, 
71  ff. 

Excommunication,    181,  264. 

Exhortation,  in  daily  offices, 
73  ;  in  Holy  Communion, 
188;  in  baptism,  213;  in 
visitation  of  sick,  255. 

Extreme  Unction,  235  ;  Ro- 
man and  Eastern,  259  ;  see 
Unction. 


Fair  linen  cloth,  168,  196. 
Fald-stool,  no,  271. 
Family  Prayers,  274. 
Font,  Benediction  of,  214  ff. 
Fourth  of  July,  274. 
Full  moon,  ecclesiastical  and 
astronomical,  54  ff. 


Galilean    Liturgies,    \i,^\  see 
Mozarabic. 


Gelasius,  Bp.  of  Rome 
(t496),  119,257. 

'General'  Confession,  74; 
Thanksgiving,  93. 

Gibson,  Edmund,  Bp.  of 
London  (11748),  274. 

Gloria  in  excelsis,  79,  153, 
161,  197  ff. 

Gloria  Patri,  79. 

God's  Board,  168. 

Golden  Numbers,  50  ff.,  54. 

Good  Friday,  and  its  Col- 
lects, 127  ff. 

Gospel,  see  Epistles  and  Gos- 
pels ;  at  Baptism,  213,  223  ; 
at  Ordination,  279. 

Gradual  (Grail),  4,  154. 

Great  Bible,  4,  iSo,  275. 

Great  Doxology,  197. 

Gregory,  Bp.  of  Rome 
(1604),  loi,  119,  286. 

Gunning,  Bp.  Peter  (ti684), 
9.3- 

H 

Hampton  Court  Conference, 
13,  221. 

Harison,  Dr.  Francis  (11885), 
61. 

Henry  VIII,  King  (11547), 
8,  102. 

Hermann,  Abp.  of  Cologne 
(ti552),  10,  104,  188,  213, 
216,  239,  250  n. 

Hippolytus  of  Rome  (tf.240), 
125. 

Holy  Communion,  History 
of  the  Office,  (Chap.  VII) 
138  ff. ;  Commentary  on 
the  Office,  (Chap.  VIII) 
166  ff . ;  names,  138  ff. ; 
earliest  account,  142  ;  earli- 
est liturgy,  144;  families 
of  liturgies,  145;  English 
offices,  154  ff . ;  American 
office,  162  ff. ;  Scottish 
offices,  163  ff. ;  see  Adminis- 
tration, Communion  of  the 


INDEX 


295 


Sick,  Oblation  and  Invoca- 
tion, Order  of  the  Com- 
munion. 

Holy-days  (in  Chap.  VI);  see 
Coincidence. 

Holy  Table,  167;  j'l?!?  Lord's 
Table. 

Holy  Week,  127. 

Hooker,  Richard  (ti6oo), 
141. 

Hosanna,  190. 

Hours,  Canonical,  65. 

Humble  Access,  Prayer  of, 

155.  191- 
Huntington,  Dr.  William  R. 

(tigog),  25. 
Hymns,  194, 197 ;  Hymns  and 

Anthems,  47,  187. 


Impediment    to    marriage, 

249  ;  to  ordination,  280. 
Indemnification,  249. 
Intercession,  the  Great,  145, 

155  ff.  .       . 

Intercession,  m  Litany,  106. 
Introits,  174  ff. 
Institution  of   Ministers,  23, 

(in  Chap.  XVII)  287  ff. 
Invocation;  see  Oblation. 
Invocations,  102  ff.;  in  Litany, 

105. 
Irish  Prayer  Book,  273. 


James,  St.,  Liturgy  of,  145. 
James  I,  King    (11625),    i3. 
163,  221 ;  Prayer  Book  of, 

13- 

Jamestown,  17. 

Jerome  (Hieronymus),  St. 

(t420),  122. 

Jewish  Synagogue  Worship, 

64. 
Justin    Martyr    (t^.i6o),  142, 

193  ff.,  210. 


K 

'Kindly',  104  and  n. 

Kiss  of  peace,  143,  252. 

Kneeling  in  Holy  Commun- 
ion, 16,  195. 

Kyrie  eleison,  loi,  153  ff.,  254, 
269 ;  see  Lesser  Litany. 


Lady-day,  126. 

Latin  Prayer  Book  of  Queen 

Elizabeth,  201. 
Laud,  Abp.   (11645),  13,  112 

ff.,  187. 
Lauds,  65,  66,  68. 
Lawful  Minister,  220  ff. 
Lay,  Henry  C,  Bp.  (tiSSs), 

45- 

Lay  Baptism;  see  Lawful 
Minister. 

Legenda,  3. 

Lent,  126. 

Leo,  Bp.  of  Rome  (t46i),  1 19. 

Lesser  Litany,  100,  178;  see 
Kyrie  eleison. 

Lesson  in  Confirmation,  237. 

Lessons,  Tables  of,  43  ff. 

Litany,  S,  (Chap.  IV)  100  ff. ; 
of  Mamertus,  100,  10 1  ;  of 
1544,  102;  analysis  of,  105 
ff. ;  at  Ordination,  279. 

Litany,  Lesser,  100,  178. 

Litany-days,  10^. 

Liturgies,  families  of,  145  ff. ; 
comparative  tables,  148  ff. ; 
notes  on,  152  ff. 

Liturgy,  140  ff. ;  see  Holy 
Communion. 

Lord's  Prayer,  76 ;  in  Com- 
munion Office,  173  ff. 

Lord's  Supper,  138;  see  Holy 
Communion. 

Lord's  Table,  167  ff. 

M 

M.  and  N.,  249. 

Mamertus,    Bp.   of    Vienne, 

(t477),  100. 


2% 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 


Man  and  wife,  253. 

Manual,  2. 

Mark,  St.,  Liturgy  of,  146. 

Marriage,  see  Matrimony ; 
Laws  and  Canon,  247  tf. 

Mary,  Queen  (+1559),  abol- 
ishes Prayer  Book,  12. 

Mass,  7,  139  ff. 

Matins  (Nocturns),  65,  66, 
68,  69,  76  ;  see  Nocturns. 

Matrimony,  Solemnization 
of,  (Chap.  XII)  244  ff.; 
ancient  ceremonies,  245 ; 
words  in  service,  246,  250 
ff. ;  at  church  door,  247  ; 
deacon  as  ministrant,  252  ff . 

Maundy  Thursday,  127. 

Media  vita,  267. 

'Minister'  and  'Priest',  75, 
171,  196,  203. 

Missa  fidelium  and  Missa 
catechumenorum,  166. 

Missal,  2  ;  see  Liturgies. 

Mixture  of  cup,  185. 

Morning  and  Evening  Pray- 
er, (Chap.  Ill)  64  ff. ;  ru- 
brics as  to  use,  71  ff. 

Mothering  Sunday,  127. 

Movable  Holy-days,  45, 53, 58. 

Mozarabic  Baptismal  Office, 
213,  214,  216. 

Mozarabic  Liturgy,  146,  154, 

158,   IQI. 

Muhlenberg,  Dr.  William  A. 

(ti877),24. 
Mysteries,  139. 

N 

N.  or  M.,  231. 
Nativity ;  see  Christmas. 
Navy  and  Army,  prayers  for, 

272. 
Nestorians,  146. 
Nicaea    (Nice),  Council    of, 

53.  129. 
Niceta,  Bp.  (ti:.4i5),  80. 
Nocturns    (Matins),   65,    66, 

68,  69. 


Nones  (noon),  65,  69. 
Non-jurors'  Liturgy,  162  ff. 
Notices  and  warnings,  180  ff. 
Notkerof  St.Gall  (t9i2),268. 
Nowell,   Alexander    (ti6o2), 
229. 

O 

Oblation,  First  (Oblatio 
Primitiarum),  184;  includ- 
ing Alms,  1S7. 

Oblation  and  Invocation,  23, 
147  ff.,  156  £f.,  192  ff. 

Obsecrations,  in  Litany,  106. 

Offertory,  182. 

Old  Style  and  New  Style, 
61,  62. 

Order  of  the  Communion 
(i548),8,  iiff.;i54ff. 

Ordinal  (Directorium),  3. 

Ordinal,  23,  (Chap.  XVII) 
278  ff. ;  changes  in  offices, 

281  £f. ;    modern    Roman, 

282  ff. ;  reason  for  changes 
in  1662,  285. 

Ordinary,  38,  115. 
Ornaments  Rubric,  15. 
Osmund,    Bp.    of    Salisbury 

(ti099),  147. 
Overall,  Bp.  (ti6i9),  229. 


Palm  Sunday,  127. 

Pascha,  128. 

Passion  Sunday,  Passion 

Week,  127. 
Patria  potestas,  247. 
Penitential  Office,  115. 
Pentecost  (Whitsunday),  59, 

129. 
Philadelphia,  St.  Peter's 

Church,  171. 
Pica  (Pie),  3. 
Placebo,  262. 
Polycarp,  St.  (ti55),  129. 
Pontifical,  3  ;  see  Ordinal. 
Porrectio  instrumentorum, 

282, 


INDEX 


297 


Postures,  in  Communion-ser- 
vice, 172  ff. 

Prayer  Book,  American,  his- 
tory of,  1 7  ff . ;  see  American 
Prayer  Book. 

Prayer  Book,  English,  his- 
tory of,  5  ff. ;  see  English 
Prayer  Book. 

Prayer  Book,  Irish  ;  see  Irish 
Prayer  Book. 

Prayer  Book,  Scottish ;  see 
Scotland,  Scottish  Liturgy. 

Prayer  of  Consecration,  191 
ff. ;  at  second  Consecra- 
tion, 196  ;  in  Communion  of 
the  Sick,  204. 

Prayers  to  be  used  at  Sea, 
(in  Chap.  XV)  272  ff. 

Prefaces,  in  Holy  Commun- 
ion, 190 ;  Preface,  in  Con- 
firmation, 240 ;  to  Ordinal, 
280. 

Presbyterianism,  abolishes 
Prayer  Book,  13  ;  see  285. 

Priest,  see  Minister. 

Prime,  65,  66,  69. 

Primer,  7,  67. 

Processional,  2;  see  Chap.  IV. 

'  Pronounce  '=  proclaim,  246. 

Proper  Lessons  \see  Lessons  ; 
for  Lent,  etc.,  46. 

Proper  Prefaces,  190. 

Proper  Psalms,  39. 

Prophecies,  in  the  Liturgy, 
122,  154. 

Proposed  Book  (American), 
20,  60,  87,  164,  274. 

Proposed  Revisions  (Eng- 
lish), 14,  114. 

Prose,  154,  267. 

Prothesis,  152. 

Provoost,  Samuel,  Bp.  of 
New  York  (ti8i5),  23. 

Psalms,  Psalter,  (Chap. 
XVI)  275  ff. ;  use  of,  40, 
41  «.,  67,  78  ;  see  Selections. 

Puritans,  13,  14. 

Puritans  and  lay-baptism,  221. 


Quartodecimans,  53,  56  n. 

Quatuor  Tempora  (Ember- 
days),  59. 

Quinones,  Quignon  (ti54o)) 
and  his  Breviary,  10,  67. 

R 

Ratification,  35, 

'Receive  the  Holy  Ghost,' 
282,  284. 

Reconcihation  of  dying  Peni- 
tent, 255. 

Refection  (Refreshment) 
Sunday,  127. 

Requiem,  262. 

Reservation  of  elements  for 
Communion,  201  ff. 

Reynolds,  Bp.  Edward 
(ti676),  93. 

Right  side  of  Lord's  Table, 
169  ff. 

Ring  in  Matrimony,  245, 
250  and  n. 

Rogation-days,  58,  loi. 

Rogation  prayers,  113. 

Roman  Liturgy,  146  ff.,  157 
ff. 

Rubric,  Black,  16. 

Rubrics,  36  n. ;  as  to  use  of 
daily  offices,  71  ff. ;  see  un- 
der each  office. 

Rubrics,  disciplinary,  167, 
284. 

Rubrics,  general,  36,  45. 


Sacramentaries,  3 ;  of  Leo, 
Gelasius,  Gregory,  119. 

Sacrament  in  voto,  204. 

Saints'  Days,  49,  57,  13I)  i33 
ff. ;  see  Concurrence. 

Salutation  of  house,  254. 

Sanderson,  Bp.  of  Lincoln 
(ti663),272. 

Sarum  Use,  9,  147,  213,  etc. 

Savoy  Conference,  13. 


298 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRA  YER 


Scotland,  Episcopacy  in,  162 
ff.;  Prayer  Book  for,  13, 163. 

Scottish  Liturgy,  21,  22,  148, 
162  ff.,  178  ff.,  202. 

Scripture  Lessons  ;  see  Les- 
sons. 

Seabury,  Bp.  Samuel  (ti796), 
consecration,  18;  Com- 
munion-office, 18,  164;  re- 
vision of  Prayer  Book,  21 
ff.,  105  «.,  148,  285  ff.,  ei 
saepe. 

Sealing,  in  Baptism  and  Con- 
firmation, 210,  237. 

Selections  of  Psalms,  sug- 
gested use,  40. 

Sequence,  154,  267. 

Serapion,  Bp.  {\c.yjo),  258. 

Sermon  or  Homily,  154,  182. 

Sexts,  65,  69. 

Shrove-Tuesday,  126. 

Sick,  Communion  of,  202  ff. ; 
Visitation  of,  (Chap.XIII) 
254  ff. 

Smith,  Dr.  William,  of  Con- 
necticut (ti82i),  288. 

Smith,  Dr.  William,  of  Phil- 
adelphia (ti8o3),  19,  55, 
288  «. 

Spirit,  Gifts  of  the,  241. 

Stationary  days,  no. 

Special  Prayers  and  Thanks- 
givings, (Chap.  V)  III  ff. 

Suffrages  after  the  Creed, 
89,  90  ;  in  Litany,  287. 

Suiciaes,  burial  of,  264. 

Sunday  Letters,  49. 

Sunday  Services,  36. 

Sursum  corda,  152  ff.,  190 
and  n. 

Suspension  from  the  Com- 
munion, 167. 

Syrian  Liturgies,  145  ff. 

T 

Table  ;  see  Lord's  Table. 
Taylor,  Bp.  Jeremy  (ti667), 
114,  260. 


Te  Deum,  79  ff. 

Ten  Commandments,  177  ff. ; 

see  Commandments. 
Tersanctus,  153,  190  n. 
Thanksgiving-day,  60,  78, 136; 

service  for,  273  ff. 
Third  Services,  38. 
Thomas     k     Becket,     Abp. 

(+1170),  4,  131- 

Tierce,  65,  69. 

Tillotson,  Abp.  (11694),  274. 

Title-page,  etc.^  35. 

Tract,  154. 

Transfiguration,  28  «.,  132. 

Trinity-Sunday,  131. 

Trisagion,  153,  268;  see  Ter- 
sanctus. 

Triumphal  Hymn,  153,  190. 

Troper,  4. 

'Troth',  250. 

U 

Unction  of  the  Sick,  255, 
258  ff. ;  in  Baptism  and 
Confirmation,  210,  237  ;  see 
Chrism. 


Veni,  Creator  Spiritus,  280, 
286. 

Versions  of  Coverdale  and 
Great  Bible,  183  ;  see  Bible, 

Vespers,  65,  66,  69. 

Vestments,  15,  16. 

Victoria,  Queen  (figoi),  249. 

Visitation  of  Prisoners,  (in 
Chap.  XV)  273. 

Visitation  of  the  Sick,  (Chap. 
XIII)  254  ff. ;  absolution 
in,  257  ff. ;  unction  in,  255, 
258  ff. ;  Creed  in,  256. 

W 

Walton,  Izaak  (ti683),  229. 
Warden,  Senior,  289. 
Warnings,  202. 
Washington,    President 
(t 1 799),  92- 


INDEX 


299 


'Wealth'=prosperity,  105. 

'Wee  bookies',  163, 

West  Syrian  Liturgies,  145. 

White,  Bp.  William  (11836), 
consecration,  21  ;  revision 
of  Prayer  Book,  20  ff.,  174, 
285  ff.,  et  saepe. 

Whitsunday,  129  f¥. 

Whitsun-eve,  for  baptisms, 
212. 

William  and  Mary  (King  and 
Queen  (ti702),  (ti694),  14, 
274 ;  proposed  version  of 
Prayer  Book,  14,  114. 

Wills,  256  ff. 


Wine,  for  the  Communion, 
mixture  with  water,  185. 

'Word  and  Holy  Spirit',  192  ff. 

'Worship',  in  English  Mar- 
riage service,  246. 

Wren,  Bp.  Matthew  (ti667), 
114. 


Ximenes,   Cardinal    (ti597), 
146 ;  see  Mozarabic. 


Zante,  145. 


''NE  QUID  P  ERE  AT'' 


